On this page you will find links to the results and outputs from the 4S Study as they become available.
Policy briefing
Drawing on the findings across the 4S Study, we have produced a briefing with 9 policy recommendations for how to support for schools and youth organisations to deliver effective suicide prevention, available here.
Academic publications
Publication of the review of guidance for schools and youth organisations about self-harm and suicide in the academic journal BMC Public Health:
- Widnall, E., Robinson, H., Wang, L. et al. Prevention and postvention guidance relating to self-harm and suicide for UK educational and youth organisations: a systematic review of grey literature. BMC Public Health 26, 1376 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-27052-6
Preprints prior to peer review are available for the interviews with adults about their experiences of providing support, and the interviews and focus groups conducted with young people about their experiences of receiving prevention support:
- Widnall E, Spencer L, Robinson H, Davis RS, Mughal F, O’Keeffe S, et al. Factors influencing prevention and support in relation to self-harm and suicidal behaviours in schools and youth organisations: A Qualitative Study of Frontline Staff and External Support Providers in England. PsyArXiv; 2026. Available from: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/y2ba8_v1
- Davis RS, Robinson H, Mitchell L, O’Keeffe S, Biddle L, Kidger J, et al. Young people’s experiences of self-harm and suicide support through schools and youth organisations: A qualitative study in England. PsyArXiv; 2026. Available from: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/a6e7d_v2
Conferences
Presentation of the results from adult interviews at the UK Public Health Science Conference:
- Widnall E, Spencer L, Robinson H, et al. OP11 How schools and youth organisations are supported in preventing and responding to self-harm and suicide: a qualitative study with frontline staff and external support providers. J Epidemiol Community Health 80, A5 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1136/UKPHSC-2026-abstracts.11
Blogs
Blog post by NIHR summer intern Emily Sargisson about her experience working on 4S: The importance of young people’s voices in developing support systems for self-harm and suicide – NIHR School for Public Health Research
Blog post by 4S researcher Emily Widnall about our findings from the surveys and guidance review: How do educational and youth organisations support children and young people in relation to self-harm and suicide? – NIHR School for Public Health Research
Infographics
Infographic of the results from our surveys with schools, colleges and youth organisations to understand current policies: Survey infographic
Infographic of the results from our guidance review, co-created with the Young People’s Advisory Group and More Than Minutes: Guidance review infographic