Responding to self-harm incidents
Staff have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of reasonably foreseeable harm to students when:
- an incident occurs during a school activity
- they are made aware that a student is at risk of self-harm or suicidal behaviour (including behaviour occurring outside of school).
This applies regardless of where the incident occurs (including all school settings, excursions and camps).
Staff must follow all procedures for responding to and reporting abuse, by following the Four Critical Actions for , if a staff member becomes aware that a child or young person has been abused or is at risk of abuse.
When responding to a self-harm incident, school staff must follow the steps below.
Actions for staff responding to a self-harm incident
If the situation is an emergency:
- call an ambulance (000) immediately
- seek support from a school leader. Do not manage the situation alone
- follow the school’s emergency management plan
- follow the ‘actions for staff responding to a self-harm incident’ below.
Actions for staff responding to a self-harm incident:
- Call for help using the school’s existing emergency alert processes (for example, use a mobile phone to call for help or send 2 other students together to seek help).
- Take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all concerned, including asking the student for any instrument that they may have used to self-harm. Do not try to disarm the student against their will – this may result in injury. In the event they refuse, contact the appropriate emergency services to ensure safety of the student, other students and staff. For more information, refer to Restraint and Seclusion.
- Follow the school’s First Aid policy. Some instances of self-harm require urgent medical attention. In the school environment, an urgent response is required if the student, for example:
- Stay with the class. Do not leave the class unattended to coordinate additional support for the student who has self-harmed. Use the school’s existing emergency alert processes.
- Stay with the student until other adult supervision is secured. Do not send the student anywhere alone. This includes to the school nurse.
- Where possible, and once other adult supervision is secured, move the student to a safe environment where further enquiry can occur in a sensitive manner, that respects their privacy and reduces the risk of vicarious trauma impacts to other students and staff.
- Notify the leadership team. Schools must report and manage self-harm incidents in accordance with their Emergency Management Plan and the department’s Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy. The principal or their delegate is responsible for assessing the severity of the incident. They will contact the Incident Support and Operations Centre (ISOC) on 1800 126 126 to report 'High' or 'Extreme' severity incidents and receive support.
- With the support of the leadership team, check on the safety and wellbeing of students who may have witnessed or informed staff of the incident.
- Provide information for an ISOC Incident Report. Provide school leadership with concise and accurate information.
Remember
In most cases, self-harm is not a suicide attempt.
The physical severity of the self-harm is not a good indicator of suicidal intent because children and adolescents may be unaware of the seriousness of the risks associated with cutting, burning or hitting themselves, nor are they knowledgeable about the potential toxicity of substances such as paracetamol.
If the self-harm has caused other students or staff to be distressed, offer them appropriate supports, check the safety of each individual and contact their parents/carers if appropriate.
For more information, refer to the Concussion Recognition Tool and Blood Spills and Open Wounds Management.
Further actions for leadership and/or school wellbeing staff when responding to a self-harm incident
- Principals must manage incidents according to the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies).
- Assess the severity of the incident, using the Severity rating decision-making matrix .
- For incidents assessed as ‘Low’ or ‘Medium’, report directly into eduSafe Plus (staff login .
- For incidents assessed as ‘High’ or ‘Extreme’, contact the Incident Support and Operations Centre (ISOC) on 1800 126 126 for support (report for support).
- Contact parents or carers unless circumstances indicate that this should not occur. This contact requires sensitivity and compassion. For more information, refer to Implementation resource: Tips for Communicating with students and parents and carers .
- Although students, particularly those in secondary school, may be concerned about the school making contact with their parent/carers, sharing this information with parents/carers helps promote safety and the student accessing appropriate supports. Unless circumstances indicate that this should not occur, all occasions of self-harm must be shared with parents/carers.
- Seek advice and professional assistance from school based allied health staff. Support and advice are also available from headspace, Child and youth mental health services (CYMHS) or Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Ensure appropriate consent is collected.
- You may also contact the Health and Wellbeing or SSS key contact for further support. Self-harm or suicide related reports to ISOC with a risk rating of medium or higher are passed onto SSS.
- With appropriate consent, an appropriately trained staff member or professional should undertake a suicide risk assessment. This could include staff trained in youth mental health, a SSS psychologist or social worker, an external mental health professional, GP or hospital-based doctor or psychologist. If no suitably trained staff are available, or consent is not provided, the student’s parents and carers may be supported to seek an assessment completed at hospital or by a community-based practitioner immediately.
- Get assistance to follow up on the safety and wellbeing of students who reported or may have witnessed the incident.
- Make recommendations for referral to mental health support either within the school (for example, appropriately trained wellbeing staff or SSS) or external to the school, as appropriate (for example, headspace, CYMHS or CAMHS).
- Ensure staff involved in responding to the incident are provided with information about self-care and the supports available to them. Direct staff to the Employee Wellbeing Support Services. Principals can access Principal Health and Wellbeing.
- Consider what post-incident follow-up may be required, including ongoing support for staff and students.
- School leadership may consider a Worksafe Notification (13 23 60).
Responding to a disclosure of self-harm or suicidal ideation
There may be times when a staff member learns that a student is engaging in self-harm behaviours, or has done so in the past. They could hear this from the student themselves, another student, or a professional who has worked with the student.
When there is a disclosure of self-harm, a suspicion of self-harm or a historical disclosure, staff responding must follow the same actions, as outlined above.
In any case:
- the immediate priority is ensuring the safety of the student and other students
- school leadership must report the incident on eduSafe Plus. This includes for any disclosure of self-harm, even if the self-harm has occurred in the past.
Authorised school staff can access Child Link to gain more information about a student’s circumstances and can use the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) to support them to request or share relevant information to promote student wellbeing and safety. Refer to the Child Link and Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes policies for further guidance.
Refer to the department’s Managing Trauma: a guide to managing trauma following a critical incident . There are also 9 Managing Trauma eLearn modules available through (search 'managing trauma' in My LearnEd).
Documentation and recording
School staff must use school-based recording and other departmental reporting systems such as eduSafe Plus (staff login , to record all incidents of self-harm, including threats of self-harm, whether they occurred at school, offsite, during school-approved activities, or out of school hours. Schools staff must document and report all incidents reported by parents and carers or other third parties, including other students. Records must include all relevant and suitable details to support further investigation and allow for the provision of support.
All information about self-harm incidents must be kept securely to maintain privacy and confidentiality.
The Records Management policy assists schools to understand and meet requirements for creating, managing, storing, and disposing of school records, including student health and wellbeing records.
Reviewed 28 August 2025