Karen Slade

Role

Prof Karen Slade is Professor of applied forensic psychology specialising in suicide prevention and postvention, self-harm, violence and dual harm (co-existing harm to self and others) across the criminal justice and blue-light sectors.  She is also a practising forensic psychologist, providing consultancy and supervision and Co-Chair of the IASP Special Interest Group: Suicide Prevention in the Criminal Justice Sector - IASP

She regularly provides research, consultancy and advice to several national and international correctional services and fire & rescue services and welcomes new approaches and collaborations from academics, policy, charities, organisations or professionals in the area.

On her recent secondment to His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) from 2019-2024 she led extensive work packages designing national approaches to actively prevent and effectively and compassionately respond to suicide and deaths under probation supervision across the prison and probation services (including Approved Premises) in England and Wales.  She is the leading international expert on Dual Harm (people with co-existing violent and self-harm behaviour) in correctional services and is developing a strong research and practice foundation in developing understanding and practice in this area.

Prof Slade has extensive international expertise and experience in research, policy and practice and specialises in the development of new evidence-based systems in practice.  Her experience includes supporting policy development, new approaches and systems of work and improving operational delivery (including training and guidance) for suicide and death prevention & postvention, self-harm, violence and for complex harm presentations; with resources freely available:  Prof Karen Slade: Harm Prevention Resources - Home

In 2023, with a team from NTU and the Fire Fighters Charity, she led the development of  openly available detailed guidance for beneficiaries of the Charity (people who work for, or retired from, the Fire and Rescue Services and their families) on a range of scenarios around suicide prevention Suicide Prevention - The Fire Fighters Charity and responding after a suspected suicide Postvention: Responding after a suspected suicide - The Fire Fighters Charity

She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and supervises many DPsych in forensic psychology, PhD and MSc students in all areas of forensic psychology and harm prevention.

Karen's current research, consultancy and practice areas include:

• Prevention and management of self harm, suicide and violence within the criminal justice and blue light services.
• Understanding and managing Dual Harm (both violence and self-harm) behaviour
• Organisational and practice approaches to suicide, self-harm and violence prevention
• Mortality prevention within community criminal justice populations and services.

Career overview

Karen has practiced as a Forensic Psychologist for over two decades, working directly for HM Prison and Probation Service, and for over a decade as a consultant and advisor across the criminal justice and blue-light sectors.  She is active in research with a focus on developing high-quality but impactful research in the field drawing on her extensive experience as a practitioner as well as a Senior strategic leader, consultant and project manager.

Her research has impact and brings around real change, and underpinned REF Impact Case Studies in REF2014 and 2021 (see Re:covery | Nottingham Trent University) and has continued to shape correctional practices and beyond.

Karen remains active in working with agencies across the criminal justice system in the UK and internationally in the prevention of self harm, suicide and violent behaviour working closely with many correctional services, prisons, probation and blue-light services as well as aligned charities.  Her expertise sits in the intersection of detailed operational, academic and policy knowledge translating into strategic development of strong evidence-based and effective developments to prevent suicide and other preventable deaths and working with those who self-harm.

During her recent 5- year secondment with HMPPS, she led the development of the Support and Safety Plan (SaSP) and Collaborative Assessment of Risk and Emotion (CARE) in Approved Premises and was Strategic Lead for Deaths Under Supervision, leading on cross-service development work focussed on the prevention of deaths under probation supervision from 2021-23.

She is a BPS Chartered Psychologist (Forensic Psychology) and supervisor and is registered with the HCPC as a Forensic Psychologist. She was on the Executive Committee for the BPS' Division of Forensic Psychology 2013-2019.

Her research, consultancy and practice interests include self-harm and suicidal behaviour and Dual Harm (both violence and self-harm) and deaths which occur amongst people on probation (community corrections or parole); alongside a keen interest in all aspects of forensic psychology.  She has published widely with over 40 publications and regularly provides talks and workshops to academic and practice audiences. She continues to work across settings in the development and implementation of effective practice as well as providing training and supervision.

External activity

• Secondment with HMPPS (2019- 2024) as Strategic Lead for Deaths Under Supervision and suicide prevention projects.
• Chartered Psychologist & Full Member of the Division of Forensic Psychology (British Psychological Society)
• Registered Forensic Psychologist (Health and Care Professions Council).
• Non-Executive Director at HMP Fosse Way
• Chair of the International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) Special Interest Group for suicide prevention in the criminal justice sector

• Funded consultancy and training provision to HM Prisons, Ministry of Justice, Fire Fighters Charity, Tough2Talk and OPD pathway.
• Advisor to international correctional services including Catalonia Correctional Services, NSW Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, Australia; WA Department of Justice, Australia;  EuroPris.
• Founding member and Lead for Forensic Harm Prevention Network (FHPN) & International self-harm in prison network
• Professional supervision of psychologists
• Division of Forensic Psychology Executive Committee (2013-2019)
• Previous External Examiner at Cardiff Metropolitan University (PgDip Practitioner Psychologist) & Glasgow Caledonian University (MSc Forensic Psychology)

Sponsors and collaborators

• Prof Andrew Forrester (University of Cardiff)
• Prof Rohan Borschmann (University of Melbourne)
• Prof Stuart Kinner (Curtin University)
• Dr Seena Fazel (University of Oxford)
• Prof Hayden Smith (University of South Carolina)
• Amy Beck (Suicide Prevention Lead, Probation Service)
• Dr Jill Tolfrey, Fire Fighters Charity