One is Too Many: targeted support for veterans who are at risk of suicide
The Trust has awarded £2,135,137 under the One is Too Many programme, for organisations to provide specialist and co-ordinated services that reduce suicide risk in veterans.
Eight awards of up to £300,000 have been made to organisations across the UK who have experience in working with individuals who are at increased risk of suicide. Three projects are working to provide support to veterans in the Devolved Nations, and the remaining five have dedicated their support UK-wide.
Working together
The approaches taken by the eight organisations all differ. Some are undertaking a partnership approach with another specialist organisation that has experience in suicide prevention.
SSAFA has partnered with the Samaritans to work together to encourage more veterans to use their core suicide prevention support services, with an aim of reaching over 5,000 new veterans.
Other organisations have joined forces with NHS partners to share experience, learning and best practice to provide services going forward.
The Baton aims to partner with the NHS to help deliver their safety model across the UK and evaluate this model of care in terms of its wider use for other sectors, such as the NHS and blue-light workers.
Adferiad Recovery (formerly CAIS) are partnering with the Suicide Prevention Team from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to help them develop their performance monitoring process and to ensure the projected numbers of veterans are reached during the project lifecycle.
The RMA Royal Marines Charity are partnering with the NHS Veterans’ Service to ensure that all data regarding referrals is captured to help inform future delivery and to assist with wider research.
Undertaking research
Organisations are also delivering original research activities in order to further understand the journey the veterans are taking, and to encompass this learning into future intervention projects.
The Baton is currently undertaking research with bereaved families who are already involved with the project. Qualitative research is being undertaken to understand the decision process around their loved ones’ decision to take their own lives, and how this understanding can facilitate an intervention process that will be successful.
Specialist outreach
One is Too Many has also funded projects with specialist outreach organisations.
Help for Heroes are using their own methodology and resources in order to prevent veteran suicide. Their ‘Veterans’ Suicide Awareness and Self Help (SASH)’ project will use their own internal impact assessment system, and this will report and measure on the effectiveness of their suicide intervention programme.
Walking with the Wounded are supporting Scottish veterans. Their aim is to support 540 veterans through their ‘Integrated Recovery Programme’ to lead a “dignified civilian life”. The outcomes of this programme will be fed into a national initiative for an integrated recovery model to be shared with the sector.
Find out more
For a full list of awards made, click here.