Worried about someone now?

If you are worried about a student right now, here is some helpful information:

The situation is urgent if:

• The student says they intend to go and kill themselves immediately.
• The student indicates they are going to cause immediate harm to someone else.
• The student is putting themselves in immediate in danger, for instance by walking into traffic, intending to jump from a high building, or holding something with the intention of causing harm to themselves or others (eg a glass, knife or substance they intend swallowing).
• You reasonably believe the student has already done something to cause themselves harm, such as swallowing tablets or other harmful substances.

What to do:

• Always know the emergency number for your university security team. They can help you deal with urgent situations faster.
• If you can without causing delay, ask the student what they are going to do or if they have swallowed anything (you can pass this information on when you seek help).
• If you can get help from another person, do so – ask them to call the university security emergency number, or to dial 999.
• Reduce risk to other people by asking them to leave the area.
• Try to keep the student calm by keeping your own voice calm and quiet.
• Don’t approach the student if this increases risk to yourself or them.
• If you can’t get help from another person, get to a phone and call the university security emergency number, or dial 999 (even if you have to leave the student).
• If you have to leave the student, try to remember enough information to give the emergency services a general description (male/female, rough age, height, clothes etc.)
• After the situation has been resolved, talk it through with someone, such as your manager or colleague, and write down your actions so you can remember what happened when.

What not to do:

• Do not to anything that puts yourself or other people at risk.
• Don’t panic – always try to keep calm.
• Never delay calling for help, preferably via the university security emergency number, or by dialling 999. It is always better to explain doing something that turns out to be unnecessary, than not to take action which could prevent harm.
• Don’t try to deal with the situation by yourself.