Knowles, James

Start date:
October 2017
Research Topic:
Supporting the Reduction of Suicide using Structured Professional Judgement
Research pathway:
Research Supervisor:
Professor Nicola Gray
Supervising school:
Department of Psychology,
Primary funding source:
ESRC Studentship

In Wales, approximately 350 people die from suicide every year. This project will focus on using the Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ) approach to support the reduction of suicide in the general population. An SPJ is an approach to risk assessment that stems from forensic psychology, where it has had great success in the prediction and management of violent and sexual offending. The Risk of Suicide Protocol (RoSP) is an SPJ used to predict and prevent self-harm and suicide. It aims to guide the clinician through previously identified risk factors related to suicide, providing them with a framework to form a coherent judgement of risk that directly informs individualized safety planning strategies. This project will work with Accident and Emergency services in Wales to investigate the accuracy, reliability and palatability of this approach to risk evaluation.