Suicide and self-harm
Introduction
There may be times when claimants say they intend to harm or kill themselves. Staff should
be alert to claimants who may declare or whose behaviour indicates an intention to attempt
suicide or self-harm.
Whilst some claimants may say they intend to kill or harm themselves as a threat or a tactic to
“persuade”; others will mean it. Our actions must be organised around the assumptio n that it
is a real possibility that the customer will take action on their declaration.
Staff are not counsellors but must be aware of the principles of DWP’s Six Point Plan and
should use these as a basis to enable them to effectively manage situations that may arise.
The safety of the member of staff must always come first when dealing with this type of
incident. Staff should be aware that if possible they should summon a colleague to act as a
support partner so they are not dealing with the incident alone. The support partner can:
take notes
find contact phone numbers
witness the conversation.
These are examples, not a full list.
Local Six Point Plan
Managers, in all DWP businesses who work with claimants, must use the DWP’s Six Point Plan
to develop arrangements that suit their own local working environments to help staff deal
effectively and safely with claimant declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self -harm.
The local Six Point Plan must be developed in consultation with the local trade union. There i s
an outline local Six Point Plan template (link is external) to help prepare the Plan. The Plan
should contain details of how to summon a colleague to act as a support partner.
The local Six Point Plan should be kept up to date and communicated to all staff who work
with claimants. Staff must refresh their knowledge and understanding of the local Six Point
Plan at least annually, and following an incident.
It is strongly recommended that staff create a desktop shortcut to the local Six Point Plan so
that they can access it quickly and easily if they need it. Staff members who are working away
from the office, for example on visiting duties, are also strongly recommended to carry a copy
of the local Six Point Plan with them.
Claimant threatens to harm others
The claimant may be agitated and could come across as aggressive and threatening to
others. They may have a weapon or threaten to self-harm in the office in such a way that
would endanger others, such as pouring petrol on themselves and the surroundings and
threatening to set fire to it. In these circumstances it is important to report the incident using
the Unacceptable Claimant Behaviour (UCB) procedures (link is external).
Recording the claimant’s declaration of intention
Regardless of whether UCB procedures apply or not, details of the incident are noted on a
record of claimant declaration of intention to attempt suicide or self-harm form (link is external). It is
good practice to do this within a day of the incident if possible.
The record should be as detailed as possible including, for example:
the time and duration of contact with the claimant
what the claimant said or did
their behaviour and demeanour, for example if they were:
fidgety
not interested
vacant
fast or slow talking
not replying to you
talking incoherently
not making eye contact
key information provided to the claimant, for example details of:
the local Community Mental Health Team
Samaritans (link is external) - a confidential emotional support service available 24
hours a day Tel 116123, free from both landlines and mobiles
MIND (link is external)– Mental Health charity providing confidential mental health
information services - 0300 1233393
Breathing Space - a free, confidential phone and web based service for people in
Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety - 0800 838587
Get connected - a free, confidential helpline service for young people under 25 - 0808
8084994
Bereavement Trust (link is external)– helps people to overcome the grief and sorrow
that can follow bereavement - 0800 435455
Cruse Bereavement Care (link is external)National charity set up to offer free,
confidential help to bereaved people - 0844 4779400
any specialist support held on the relevant District Provision Tool
any actions the claimant said they would take such as contacting their GP, visiting a
friend or family member
These are examples, not a full list.
A copy of the record is retained by the Manager for 6 years in case it is needed for legal
purposes and localised Six Point Plan reviews.
The member of staff recoding the incident should also record on the claimant’s profile
that the Six Point Plan has been invoked. Declarations made in writing, electronically or via
social media
Occasionally a claimant may say they intend to attempt suicide or self -harm in a letter, email,
on social media or in their journal. In such cases, every effort must be made to contact the
claimant to:
activate the local Six Point Plan
gather as much information as possible
signpost to local support, for example their doctor or the Community Mental Health
Team where necessary
This list is not exhaustive.
If there is sufficient concern about a claimant the emergency services may be called. The
details of the incident are noted on the record of claimant declaration of intention to attempt
suicide or self-harm form.
A third party declares a claimant intends to attempt
suicide or self-harm
A third party might contact Universal Credit to inform that a claimant in tends to attempt suicide
or self-harm. A third party could include:
the claimant’s representative
family member
friends
organisations such as Social Services
landlord
neighbour
These are examples, not a full list.
In these circumstances it is reasonable to expect the third party to manage the situation, for
example, encouraging the claimant to contact their GP or Community Mental Health Team. If
the third party considers the claimant to be at serious risk or in immediate danger, they should
call the emergency services.
If the third party is capable of managing the situation they should be informed that no further
action will be taken. Details of the incident and discussion with the third party are noted on the
record of claimant declaration of intention to attempt suicide or self-harm form.
If the third party is not capable of managing the situation and the claimant seems to be at
serious risk or in immediate danger, the emergency services should be called. Details of the
incident, discussion with the third party and any action taken are noted on the record of
claimant declaration of intention to attempt suicide or self-harm form.
Claimant declares intention during a home visit
A claimant may declare an intention to attempt suicide or self-harm during a home visit. The
principles of the local Six Point Plan apply.
If possible, the jobcentre should be contacted to get support to handle the incident and to
rearrange or cancel any other visits arranged for that day.
The safety of the member of staff must always come first when dealing with this type of
incident. If at any time there is any sign of a weapon, such as a knife, gun or petrol the
member of staff should leave the property immediately and contact the emergency ser vices.
Reviewing the incident
Following all claimant declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self -harm the incident
should be reviewed by the line manager on the incident review template (link is external) at the
earliest opportunity. This is a chance to reflect on:
how the incident was handled
whether the localised Six Point Plan worked effectively
any lessons to be learned for future handling and responses
any support needed to help deal with reactions to the experience
The support partner should be included in the review.
The completed review record must be kept for 6 years and a copy sent to the person in
the jobcentre who is responsible for developing and reviewing the localised Six Point
Plan. Support for staff following an incident
It is important to consider how the member of staff and the support partner feel about handling
the incident. It can be very upsetting but they should remember that they are not responsible
for actions the claimant might take or if they decide not to seek help. Encouraging the
claimant to seek help or by calling the emergency services is all that can be reasonably
expected of them.
Some people will be affected differently. They may need some time off work or wish to receive
the independent, confidential counselling services available under the Employee Assistance
Programme (link is external) (EAP). The EAP helpline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year and all calls are free of charge from landlines. There is no limit to the number of calls that
can be made to the helpline. The EAP also has a management support service to help a line
manager deal with these conversations with their members of staff.