(UK) Self-harm: a growing problem in British schools

Nov 5, 2018, HuffPost: 'Self-Harm Contract' Set Out Rules For Kids Hurting Themselves At School https://www.huffingtonpost.ie/entry/schools-self-harm-contract-set-out-rules-for-kids-hurting-themselves-at-school_uk_5bd9b20be4b019a7ab59011e?62i&utm_hp_ref=uk-homepage Self-harm among teenagers has become so prevalent that one school asked pupils to sign a contract confirming they would not self-harm while on the premises, and would cover up their wounds in the event that they did. … The contract is no longer in use after charity Addaction warned it might make students less likely to reach out for help. The charity didn’t want to name the school, as they run a self-harm programme with pupils there. “The tone was all wrong,” Rick Bradley, Addaction’s operations manager, told HuffPost. … HuffPost recently reported exclusively on a new report which revealed one in five teenage girls think about hurting themselves some or all of the time. Cases of self-harm do appear to be rising in schools: one secondary teacher told HuffPost their school had banned pencil sharpeners to prevent students from using the blades to hurt themselves. “There is often a fear of contagion when it comes to self-harm,” said Bradley. … Recent research from the University of Manchester found that among teenage girls aged 13-16, cases rose by 68 per cent between 2011 and 2014. Between 1997 and 2017 the number of girls admitted to hospital for self-harm almost doubled, jumping from 7,327 to 13,463, NHS data shows, while admissions for boys stayed relatively constant – 2,236 in 1997 to 2,332 in 2017. … She said there should be a “whole-school approach” where all staff have training on self-harm and mental health issues. …