THOUSANDS of teenagers in Devon are self-harming – and the numbers are rising.

A report to Devon County Council’s children scrutiny committee said that there were around 14,906 people aged ten to 19 who self-harmed in Devon.

It also added that self-harming rates in Torbay were higher than anywhere else in the South West, the numbers of children and young people who were self-harming seemed to be increasing and that less than half of people affected ever visited a hospital.

The children and adolescent mental health services commissioner for the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group and South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) provided the report to the scrutiny committee to provide an update with regard to the current position of self-harm rates within children and young people in Devon and the planned next steps of the CCG.

The report said that 468 people aged between 10-19 were admitted to hospital for self-harming and that a further 536 attended hospital, based on 2015 Public Health data.

It added that there were 14,906 people in that age group who had self-harmed.

The report said: ‘Self-harm admission rates across Devon are higher than the England average… Rates are higher in children and young people and those living in the most deprived areas.

‘But hospital admissions underestimate presentations by around 60 per cent, meaning that need is likely to be even greater locally.’

The report added that the numbers of children and young people who were self-harming by poisoning seemed to be increasing and said that paracetamol was the main source of poisoning.

Self-harm was the second most common cause of death for young people but globally the most common cause of death for females aged 15-19, the report added,

It stated that nationally a survey of young people aged 15-16 years estimated that more than 10% of girls and more than 30% of boys had self-harmed in the previous year.

Results from the Good Childhood Report (2018) who surveyed 11-15 years old indicated that girls (22%) were more than twice as likely as boys (9%) to self-harm and that children and young people who were attracted to children and young people of the same gender or both genders were much more likely to self-harm, with almost half (46%), of these children involved having done so.

The report to Devon County Council’s children scrutiny committee, who meet on Monday, March 18, added: ‘Self-harm must be supported and understood in the context of being an outward expression of an underlying emotional health and well-being need or distress.

‘While admissions to hospital are a key indicator of the prevalence of self-harm, it must be recognised that there are a number of children and young people who may be self-harming that may not present to emergency departments and/or be known to services.

‘Given this, it is critical that we enable those who do not want to present to services to be able to access support, through a variety of channels. In terms of i-THRIVE [care framework], this would be focusing on ensuring support that would sit more within ‘getting advice’ and ‘getting help’ and ensuring that this support was not just available through usual service pathways.

‘We need to ensure support can be accessed and is available to the whole family; especially important given the numerous underlying challenges to a child or young person’s emotional health and well-being and to ensure that children and young people and their families are involved in the design and implementation of support.’

‘Currently, the CCG is awaiting the outcome of national bids to implement and evaluate support based on the evidence and recommendations made within this paper and we need to continue with the collaborative approach that is currently being undertaken with key partners to ensure a joined up, whole system response.’