The 12th National Self Harm & Suicide Prevention Conference – First Speakers Announced

AN INSPIRATIONAL DAY OF LEARNING, COLLABORATION & KNOWLEDGE-SHARING FEATURING PLENARY PRESENTATIONS, WORKSHOPS & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

Join Harmless – the national centre of excellence for self harm and suicide prevention – as it leads National Self Harm Awareness Day 2027 with its annual flagship conference. Featuring a range of expert speakers and leading academics, this is your opportunity to join delegates from across the sector for an engaging day of specialist and evidence-based content.

Fully CPD-accredited, the event will deliver knowledge and practical solutions for implementation in real-life situations. The format includes plenary presentations and workshops as well as networking opportunities and the chance to share experiences. Uniquely for conferences of this type, all proceeds from ticket sales go directly towards funding Harmless’ life-saving services.

Our theme for 2027 is In The Eye of the Storm: Strengthening Support for Self Harm & Suicide Prevention.

We are delighted to announce our first confirmed plenary speaker is Professor Rory O’Connor, whose presentation is titled From Understanding Risk to Strengthening Suicide Prevention. Rory is Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Glasgow, Past President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the International Academy of Suicide Research, and leads the internationally renowned Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab.

With more than 30 years’ experience researching suicide and self harm, Rory co-led the development of Scotland’s Distress Brief Intervention programme and has received several prestigious awards, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Research Award and the IASP’s Stengel Award. He is also the author of the award-winning book When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do to Prevent It and hosts Open Mind, MQ Mental Health Research’s podcast on mental health.

We are also excited to confirm that Harmless CEO Caroline Harroe and Chief HR Officer Darren Fox will be leading a workshop on Workforce Wellbeing. Co-founder of Harmless, Caroline is a Senior Accredited Psychotherapist with over twenty years’ specialised experience in suicide prevention. Her leadership shapes internal and external strategies, ensuring that Harmless remains a beacon of excellence while also advocating for positive change at a societal level.

Darren joined Harmless in 2010 and is currently the organisation’s Chief HR Officer. He has responsibility for ensuring organisational aims and objectives are aligned with HR strategy, policy, and wider employee relations practices. His area of interest and specialism is HR within the context of those working with self harm and suicide prevention.

A full line-up of our guest speakers and workshop leaders will be announced soon.