SCHOOLS in Somerset are to be given more training and support in a bid to prevent pupils from self-harming.

More than one in four schoolgirls in Somerset have self-harmed “as a way of coping with stressful situations”, according to a report published in November 2018.

The number of women and girls admitted to hospital in Somerset for self-harm has risen since 2010/11, with the phenomenon particularly prevalent among 15-year-old girls.

Somerset County Council has been working with the Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, looking at how this trend can be reversed.

The council has confirmed further support is being provided to schools in the form of online tools, support workers and training for staff.

An update on the progress being made came before the council’s children and families scrutiny committee in Taunton on Friday morning (June 14).

Louise Finnis, from the council’s public health team, said online tools and support from her officers were being provided to schools to help them tackle self-harm among their pupils.

She said: “Public Health is funding a series of self-harm awareness sessions to schools and allied professionals, being delivered by the educational psychology service.

“We have developed a mental health toolkit, which provides information and support about mental health and emotion well-being.

“It is designed to support staff in schools and colleges, but also offers advice and information for anyone who has responsibility for children and young people, including parents.”

The CCG has launched the Schools Self-Harm Project in conjunction with NHS England, with one project worker already being in place and another due to be appointed shortly.

Ms Finnis said schools were being encouraged to develop their own policies about self-harm, with the project workers visiting schools to provide guidance and information.

She said: “Part of the Schools Self-Harm Project’s role to promote the development of a school’s self-harm policy.

“To date the project worker has been into 34 schools to introduce the project and hear more about the needs of the schools. All the schools have asked for training.

“Four schools have signed up to pilot some new training devised by the self-harm project, and five schools have booked the project for their September INSET day.”

Going forward, a new “self-harm register” could be created to understand localised trends of self-harm, to see where resource should be targeted in the years ahead.

Ms Finnis added: “A bid has been submitted to NHS England to fund the setting up of a self-harm register, to improve the data we have to understand self-harming behaviour in children and young people.

“We are working on a baseline data set, including monitoring which schools young people attend who are admitted for self-harm.

“The work of the Schools Self-Harm Project is talking and listening to a range of stakeholders to help develop our understanding.”