Our Chair, Debbie Hewitt MBE, and CEO, Mark Bullingham, joined HRH The Prince of Wales and The Royal Foundation at the launch of a new suicide prevention toolkit, ‘On Your Side’.
We are one of over a dozen sports organisations, including the Premier League and Team GB, that have signed up to become champions of the toolkit, and Debbie and Mark joined leaders from throughout the sporting world at Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day.
Launched by The Prince, who is also Patron of The FA, and The Royal Foundation, the new toolkit will provide sport with the knowledge, confidence and practical approaches needed to make a meaningful contribution to suicide prevention. We will embed the toolkit across our organisation and will also promote its use through our community and grassroots football network.
Through the implementation of evidence-based suicide prevention techniques, we will strengthen our approach and help inspire wider action across all sports.
Research commissioned by The Royal Foundation shows that sport has the potential to be a powerful platform for suicide prevention but is hampered by stigma – particularly among men and elite athletes – and our England senior men’s captain, Harry Kane, features in a special film showcasing the power of having a conversation about suicide.
The ‘On Your Side’ toolkit – co-produced in partnership with the UK’s national standards body, British Standards Institution (BSI), and mental health charity Chasing the Stigma – has been designed to move suicide prevention from good intention to everyday action, giving people engaged in sport the confidence to spot warning signs, start conversations and connect individuals with support before a crisis occurs. It is the most comprehensive suicide prevention resource created specifically for the sports sector and will be available on Chasing the Stigma’s Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health directory.
The toolkit is designed for use across all sporting environments, from local clubs to sports academies and elite organisations, and is relevant to everyone involved in sport, including players, coaches, staff, volunteers, families and spectators.
The ‘On Your Side’ toolkit explains how to:
- Create safe and supportive environments where people feel able to speak up and support others in distress, including outlining appropriate language and providing conversation starters
- Make suicide prevention part of everyday practice, including policies and ways of working
- Spot the signs and respond to someone in crisis
- Put clear procedures in place for crisis situations and supporting after a suicide, including directing people to relevant support
As part of our ongoing commitment, we will:
- Embed suicide prevention work across our organisation and national teams
- Use the 'On Your Side' toolkit as a framework to scale our work across grassroots clubs, with specific programmes to support clubs in areas where suicide rates are high
- Convene football and cross sector specialists to ensure a consistent national approach to suicide prevention within football, share learning, evaluate work and drive best practice
Further information and access to the ‘On Your Side’ toolkit can be found here.
