Ligature Training   Face-to-Face / Virtual Classroom

This course will give learners more of an understanding regarding risk assessments, skills and knowledge to recognise ligature self-harm injuries and to safely remove someone from suspension using ligature cutters. Learners will gain new skills and knowledge on how to recognise ligature injuries, treat a casualty and also to safely remove someone from suspended and unsuspected strangulation.

Having ligature awareness training and responding to incidents in a professional and timely fashion can and does save lives. Hanging is the main method of suicide for mental health service users and this may involve suspending the body from a high ligature point. This can cause a fracture to the upper spinal column, or through asphyxiation or strangulation without suspension of the body, using a ligature point at or below head height.

Ligature awareness training is specifically designed for support staff who are supporting children and young adults who are at risk of attempting suicide or self-harm by a number of means including the application of a ligature.

Learners will gain practical skills and knowledge to recognise self-harm and ligature injuries, treat a casualty and also to safely remove someone from suspension. Ligature training is delivered to up-skill and empowers staff to recognise and identify possible ligature points and to help them implement control measures in order to support an individual who is at risk from Ligature.

We will explore ligature risk assessments and discuss environmental risk assessments.

▪ Review the organisation’scurrent policy, process and procedures on the use of the cutter

▪ Identify types of ligatures and ligature points.

▪ Recognise and describe the signs and symptoms of ligature injuries.

▪ Demonstrate the safe removal of ligatures using cutters.

▪ Demonstrate safe removal from suspension and incomplete suspension.

▪ Describe how to safely store, maintain, dispose and replace cutters.

▪ Explore anti ligature devices

▪ Explore ligature risk assessments and environmental risk assessments.

▪ Discuss First Aid actions following strangulation or attempted strangulation