National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” hosted a socially important, practice-oriented professional event for the police officers who will be performing the duties of the Educational Security Service.
It should be noted that starting from 1 September 2024, the positions of inspectors and officers of the Educational Security Service will be introduced in general secondary education institutions of the Poltava Territorial Community, who will be responsible for law enforcement, mentoring and educational functions.
At the Multidisciplinary Classical University, in partnership with the Gender Centre of Poltava Polytechnic, the specialists of the Centre for Assistance to Survivors held a workshop on “Suicide Prevention in Communities” with the participation of law enforcement officers, representatives of state institutions, local governments and territorial communities of the Poltava region. This initiative is being successfully implemented as part of the programme of the Akershus University Clinic and the Mental Health Centre of the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” and aims to support a positive moral and mental health background for Ukrainian citizens.
According to the organisers, this training will help future officers of the Educational Security Service to acquire the necessary professional competencies that will allow police officers to effectively perform their duties to ensure an adequate level of security in educational institutions, thanks to the knowledge and skills of “gatekeeping” – providing primary psychosocial assistance to people with signs of suicidal behaviour, identifying warning signs, supporting them in a suicidal crisis and referring them for specialised help.
At the beginning of the event, the participants were greeted by the Coordinator of the Centre for Assistance to Survivors of the NGO “Innovative Social Solutions” Nataliia Deriabina, who spoke about the priority areas of the Centre for Assistance to Survivors in Poltava, which provides assistance to combatants, works with veterans and former prisoners of war, providing them with psychological and legal support.
The workshop included a number of sessions: “Who is a gatekeeper? Common opinions and attitudes towards suicide”, “Being the first to help in a suicide crisis”, “Ways of help and algorithm of actions. Taking care of oneself for someone who supports others”. Police officers discussed the existing opportunities to have productive attitudes and views on suicide, signs of suicidal behaviour, improved their ability to talk about thoughts and intentions, and to make a safety plan in case of a crisis.
According to the participants themselves, it is extremely important to have internal resources for self-healing, which people who do not even have suicidal thoughts and those who are already in a suicidal crisis can turn to for further help.
Under the guidance of an experienced instructor and case manager at the Centre for Assistance to Survivors of the NGO “Innovative Social Solutions”, Tetiana Laskavenko, the participants of the practice-oriented event discussed effective methods of preventing suicidal behaviour, learned to recognise its manifestations and provide support to people in suicidal crisis. The law enforcement officers worked in mobile groups, analysed life cases and shared their experience from the professional practice of patrol police officers.
Participants learned to recognise warning signs of suicide, including frequent talk about death or the desire to die, common phrases such as “You will be better off without me”, “I want to fall asleep and not wake up”, “I want peace of mind”, self-harm, hopelessness in actions and thoughts, ending things, thinking about the meaning of life, thinking about and preparing a suicide plan, collecting, purchasing and storing dangerous things (pills, weapons, etc.), saying goodbye to friends and family, not going to work, missing school for a long period of time, increasing alcohol and drug use, aggressive behaviour, sudden mood changes, changes in eating behaviour, etc.
During the practical part of the workshop, the participants split into mobile groups and refuted the existing myths about people at risk of suicide.
Upon completion of the training, the participants received certificates and shared their impressions.
It should be noted that the Centre for Assistance to Survivors in Poltava was established at the initiative of the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, with the assistance of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine – UNFPA Ukraine, thanks to the financial support of the governments of Austria, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, in cooperation with local authorities and the NGO “Innovative Social Solutions”.
It should be recalled that earlier a new project “Security Ambassadors” was launched in the Poltava region, Poltava Polytechnic joined the “Coalition 1325 Poltava Region”, and the Gender Centre of Poltava Polytechnic presented its activities at the first scheduled meeting of the “Coalition 1325 Poltava Region”.
Recently, on the second anniversary of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, the university discussed changes in legislation and combating violence, presented a unique project on the way to implementing the “Tactile Tour” guide for barrier-free events, and presented the annual report of the Ombudsman for Human Rights of Ukraine on the main stage of Poltava Polytechnic for the second time.
At the Veteran Development Centre, experts from the Centre for Assistance to Survivors also discussed how to establish effective communication with retired military personnel.
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
