Suicide prevention scheme saves lives

The Edinburgh Tenants' Federation initiative was launched in October after two particularly harrowing suicides in council blocks in the Capital.

The ETF arranged suicide-awareness training for 200 front line council housing staff and gave high-rise tenants a key fob with the number of the Breathing Space and Samaritans helplines on it.

It also ensured that concierges had next-of-kin details for all residents of their block so that family members could be traced without waiting for council offices to reopen.

The ETF has now received the Frances Nelson Award for the scheme, a national award for tenants organisations which have made an outstanding contribution to their members' lives.

Organisers are advising colleagues across the country who want to replicate their work, and in the wake of three simultaneous suicides at the Red Road high rises in Glasgow, members of the team went to the city to advise there.

They are also extending the scheme in the Capital by giving suicide-awareness training to hundreds of workers from the council's repairs and maintenance service, because of the contact they have with isolated people in both high and low-rise blocks.

The scheme was the brainchild of convener of the Edinburgh Tenants Federation, Betty Stevenson, after watching how staff and residents struggled to cope with two suicides. She said: "On communities it has a hell of an impact, and on the concierge service as well, because nobody was there for them.

"We know of four lives it's saved since February where council officers recognised that people were on the verge and managed to get them the help and support they've needed."

Also involved with the campaign is Clare MacGillivray, development co-ordinator for the ETF. She said: "Betty had seen the impact on concierges and also that local people were really upset about the suicides. She said 'We need to do something about this' and kept bringing up that we need some action.

"This is very much a grassroots-led, tenants-led issue, that the council have worked brilliantly in supporting."

The ETF, now in its 20th year, also had its scheme recognised by the Cabinet Office as a good practice case study, and is due to be congratulated in a motion lodged by MSP Ian McKee at Holyrood today.