Developing the CATCH-HARMS assessment tool: a co-designed approach for identifying self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children

Michelle Townsend; Veronica Power; Karlen Barr; Rosiel Elwyn; Julia Granaham; Mikaela Moore; Rohan Borschmann

doi:10.1080/18387357.2026.2620590

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Developing the CATCH-HARMS assessment tool: a co-designed approach for identifying self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Developing the CATCH-HARMS assessment tool: a co-designed approach for identifying self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children

Michelle Townsend, Veronica Power, Karlen Barr, Rosiel Elwyn, Julia Granaham, Mikaela Moore and Rohan Borschmann

Advances in Mental Health, Vol.Advanced access

11-Feb-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/18387357.2026.2620590

Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection

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Abstract

Applied and developmental psychology

Clinical psychology

Suicide

self-harm

children

assessment

measure

early identification

early intervention

lived experience

co-design

self-injury

suicidal behavior

suicidal ideation

suicidal behaviour

Thompson Institute Special Collection

Other Collaborations

Suicide prevention

Youth mental health

Background Self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children are growing public health issues, however, have received comparatively less attention and research than in other age groups. This gap highlights the need for effective ways to identify and assess these behaviours in children aged 12 years and under to support prevention and intervention efforts. Objective This study describes the co-design development of an innovative assessment tool - the Codesigned Assessment Tool of Child Self-Harm and Suicidal Behaviours (CATCH-HARMS) - designed to identify and assess self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children aged 12 years and under. Methods We co-designed an assessment tool that seeks to identify, assess and understand early indicators, experiences and related factors behind self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children. Adults in the group consisted of those with lived experience (LE) of self-harm/suicidal behaviour from their own childhood (<12 years of age), parents/carers of children with LE of childhood self-harm and suicidal behaviours and clinicians/academics with expertise in developmental and clinical psychology. Outcome A novel 28-item tool was developed to assess child self-harm and suicidal behaviours, to inform early intervention. The co-design process increased capacity for creative solutions and supports practical utility and acceptance of the assessment in real-world contexts.

Details

Title: Developing the CATCH-HARMS assessment tool: a co-designed approach for identifying self-harm and suicidal behaviours in children
Authors: Michelle Townsend (Corresponding Author) - University of Wollongong
Veronica Power (Author) - University of Wollongong
Karlen Barr (Author) - University of Wollongong
Rosiel Elwyn (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Julia Granaham (Author)
Mikaela Moore (Author)
Rohan Borschmann (Author) - Curtin University
Publication details: Advances in Mental Health, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Australasia
DOI: 10.1080/18387357.2026.2620590
ISSN: 1837-4905
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Data Availability: There are no data sets available for future research due to the study design.
Grant note: This study was supported by the University of Wollongong under the AGEIS grant.
Organisation Unit: Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991206380702621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Psychiatry

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