Self-Harm and Attempted Suicide Response

Documenting and recording

School staff should use school-based recording and other departmental reporting systems such as IRIS (staff login required) to record all incidents of self-harm, whether they occurred at school, during school-approved activities, or offsite/out of school hours. The school-based recording and reporting should also record all threats of self-harm.

These records should include:

• the details of the incident and the school response, including steps taken to keep the young person and the broader school community safe
• details of the interactions between the school and parent/carer
• a detailed account from those who witnessed or disclosed the incident and the actions that the school is undertaking to support these students and/or staff
• clearly identified roles and responsibilities of all staff involved in the care and support of the student(s)
• the development of an appropriate safety plan and, if required, a return to school plan
• a record of any referrals to appropriate external services
• details about how the student will be supported and timeframes for reviewing the support processes in place for the young person involved in the incident.

All information about self-harm incidents needs to be kept securely to maintain privacy and confidentiality.