A new self-harm prevention program is being co-designed for Australian primary schools to address increasing rates among young people. The Black Dog Institute in partnership with Orygen and the NSW Department of Education, are collaborating on the initiative, which is being developed for children aged 10-13 (years 3-6). This program aims to address both individual and environmental risks associated with self-harm.
Why is this important?
Self-harm affects 17% of young people aged 12-18, with a significant increase at age 15. It is an issue that impacts the health and wellbeing of young people, increasing their risk of suicide. A universal approach in schools is considered beneficial because young people can be exposed to self-harm in school communities. Currently, there are no universal prevention programs for Australian schools that target children in the years before self-harm becomes more prevalent.
What is the program?
The program will take a whole-of-school approach to address self-harm and will focus on:
- Building and strengthening students’ emotion regulation skills
- Addressing classroom, school, and home spaces, focusing on the environment, connectedness, and validation in these areas.
How is the program being developed?
The program is currently being developed in collaboration with teachers, students and young people with lived experience of self-harm. The program will be tested for effectiveness and safety in a study involving over 60 primary schools between 2026 and 2028.
A key part of the self-harm prevention program will be building and strengthening students’ emotion regulation skills. Learning to recognise and manage emotions can help young people navigate challenges and reduce self-harm behaviours.
One of the youth advisors on the project shared:
“If a self-harm prevention program had been available during my primary school years, it would have made an enormous difference in my life. I truly believe I could have avoided turning to self-harm as a coping mechanism.”
Project highlights
- The Black Dog Institute has facilitated workshops with 15 educators from nearly all Australian states and 120 students aged 10-13, from six schools across regional and urban New South Wales to understand program preferences.
- Design experts Portable are developing a prototype digital intervention based on insights from workshops that support emotion regulation.
- A second round of workshops will occur in March-April 2025 to test the digital intervention prototypes before the full trial.
This collaborative approach ensures the program is relevant for the young people it aims to support.
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