By Helen Birch (Training & Education Officer)
At Harmless, the centre of excellence for self harm and suicide prevention, we believe in the power of connection. Our training sessions are carefully designed to be interactive, engaging and impactful. To maintain this high standard, spaces are intentionally limited. However, there is an ‘uncomfortable truth’ we must confront: the significant impact that cancellations and Did Not Attends (DNAs) have on the safety net we are collectively trying to build.
The Impact on Prevention
Each place in our training represents more than just a seat – it is an opportunity for learning, sharing experiences and gaining vital, evidence-based knowledge that can make a real difference in people’s lives. When a delegate does not attend as booked, the consequences are immediate:
- Depriving Others: A cancellation or DNA prevents another individual – perhaps a frontline worker or a community volunteer – from accessing potentially life-saving training.
- Reducing Community Reach: By attending as booked, you ensure that others who need this knowledge are not deprived of the opportunity to strengthen their intervention skills.
- Interrupting Engagement: Our interactive model thrives on the diverse perspectives and questions of every participant to create a vibrant learning environment.
We Understand Life Happens
We recognise that work is busy, home lives are stressful, and life can be unpredictable. Cancellations and DNAs are often unavoidable and rarely intentional. However, their impact on the community’s collective ability to prevent harm is great nonetheless.
Every seat counts – your commitment helps us maximise the reach and impact of our work.
Evidence-Led Solutions
As the centre of excellence, we strive to ensure everything we do is evidence-based and data-driven, and that includes our booking process. We are currently drilling down into two years of booking data to understand the drivers behind DNAs. This research is informing upcoming changes to our systems to make it as easy as possible for delegates to attend.
About The Academy at Harmless
The Academy is the specialist training pillar of Harmless, providing CPD-accredited, evidence-based education in self harm awareness, suicide prevention and bereavement support. Since 2012, The Academy has equipped over 34,000 professionals and community members with the skills and confidence to respond to distress with compassion. All training is research-informed and aligned with the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and NICE guidelines. As a social enterprise, all income generated from training sales is directly reinvested into Harmless’ life-saving clinical services.
How You Can Help
To help us turn harm into hope, we kindly ask all delegates to:
- Commit to the Date: Consider the impact on others when planning your attendance.
- Notify Early: If a cancellation is truly unavoidable, please notify us as early as possible so the place can be reallocated to someone on the waiting list.
- Watch This Space: We are making more positive changes soon to support you in gaining attendance.
By filling every seat, we ensure that the ‘ripple effect’ of our training spreads as far as possible, reaching those who need it most.
