World Mental Health Day: Tower Hamlets launches scheme to tackle childhood suicide

The council is launching a series of workshops to help people spot when a child or young person may be at risk of attempting suicide.

Assessing for Suicide in Kids (ASK) - available for people working with children aged five to 15 - is the only child suicide prevention training available in south east England, according to Tower Hamlets.

Mental health disorders are estimated to affect one in 10 children, some as young as five years old, in the borough.

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: "Every suicide has a profound impact and is a personal tragedy for family, friends and wider society.

"It's heartbreaking that children are increasingly affected by poor mental health and suicidal thoughts. That's why we want to equip people working with our youngest residents to know what they can do to help prevent suicide."

Yesterday's announcement came ahead of World Mental Health Day today (October 10) an initiative led by the World Health Organization.

The local authority is also funding a new service with Mind in Tower Hamlets and Newham called Connecting Communities.