Our Training & Education Officer Helen Birch offers a look at the impact of Harmless’ bereavement training contract with Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System (HWEICS).
What prompted the Hertfordshire and West Essex Suicide bereavement contract?
Hertfordshire Suicide Prevention Strategy 2020–2025 aimed to create a county where no one feels suicide is their only option. It emphasises collaboration, awareness, and support for those affected, with a focus on prevention and reducing the number of suicides. Hertfordshire County Council conducted a scrutiny of suicide prevention work from 2017–2019.
Recommendations included:
- Enhanced collaboration between key agencies.
- Proactive and joined-up approaches.
- Effective commissioning of services.
- Increased awareness and training.
- Review of bereavement services.
How was Harmless Involved?
After a rigorous bidding process, Harmless was delighted to be commissioned by HWEICS to deliver an initial 20 postvention sessions to frontline staff and volunteers over a two-year period to promote better understanding and support for those who have been bereaved by suicide in the area. We were then delighted to then have our contract extended to deliver an additional 5 sessions.
What did our delegates gain?
Learning Outcomes
- Key UK strategic guidance and research on best practice in shaping services to incorporate suicide bereavement support
- Postvention: what is means and why it matters
- The magnitude of suicide bereavement
- Suicide loss as a unique form of complex bereavement
- ‘Complicated grief’, trauma, and other individual responses to suicide
- The wider impact of bereavement on those exposed to or affected by suicide
- The stigma and shame associated with suicide and bereavement
- Bereavement by suicide as a unique risk factor for suicide
- Responding to those bereaved by suicide, and how we can help to support them
Further Reach
Over 8,030 people will have directly benefited from this training. This figure is based on calculations of the number of individuals each delegate works with per week with which they will utilise these new skills.
Postvention Awareness
Training significantly increased awareness of the term ‘postvention’ and its specifics, previously known only to a small percentage of delegates.
Signposting and Support
Delegates received vital signposting information, including local postvention support in CHUMS, enabling over 8,030 people in the area to access the support they required.
Increased Reach
Diverse services and sectors attended the training, expanding the reach of postvention support, helping to tackle misinformation and stigma and moving towards the ambition of ‘No wrong door‘ for those seeking help.
Positive Feedback & Confidence Shift
91% of delegates said they felt more confident in responding to someone bereaved by suicide following the training. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, indicating positive impacts both on delegates and those they support. This is something we proudly see on all contracts and work currently undertaken by The Academy at Harmless.
How did we facilitate the sessions?
Accessibility
Sessions are designed to be accessible and equitable, with extra provision made for questions, use of audio captions, and advance access to slides for those with visual impairments. Delegates are encouraged to use their coping skills and learning adjustments throughout the session to promote optimum learning environments for all.
In-Person and Online Sessions
Sessions are delivered in two formats to enhance accessibility and cater to personal preference. In-person sessions particularly allow for a more personal touch and often promote greater dialogue and shared experiences. However, online sessions offer an ease of access and flexibility for busy schedules and provide a safe learning environment for those whose learning styles thrive in the online space.
Feedback from our delegates
‘The trainer was fantastic, in-person (delivery) allowed for some real conversations with people. Definately the best training I’ve had in the last 2 and half years‘
‘Great trainer and content! A very informative and enjoyable training session with a very difficult topic. Thank you!‘
‘Thank you for this incredibly important training. The trainer was amazing – and I feel I learned so much in such a short space of time‘
‘Thank you so much for the excellent training last week. It was so informative, sensitive and to be frank – mind-blowing. I really took away so much from the training‘
‘It was especially useful to be able to talk openly about a very difficult, often taboo subject and be given the space to reflect on how to address it with affected clients‘
What has The Academy at Harmless learnt?
Creating Strong Partnerships
Harmless is committed to building strong, collaborative partnerships with our commissioners. We are proud to have developed a lasting and effective relationship with HWEICS and Hertfordshire County Council throughout the delivery of our services. Our partnerships are founded on open and honest communication and continue to thrive. Both HWEICS and Hertfordshire County Council remain active supporters of our work and we regularly share their endorsement at our conferences.
Delegate Demographics
Many delegates were white females. However, this reflects broader trends in the health and VCSO sectors, and the wider NHS workforce. Despite efforts to engage underserved communities, the demographic makeup remained largely unchanged. This is something we work hard to address within Harmless as a whole, as evidenced by our recent Wave 4 work in Nottinghamshire and our ongoing commitment to ensuring everyone has fair and equitable access to support, education and prevention services.
To find out more about our training options, please visit the training section of our website or our Eventbrite page.
