Systems Aligning for Equity (SAFE) Spaces (SAFE Spaces)

Experimental Evaluation of a Multi-site Suicide Intervention for Youth During and After Residential Placement

The goal of this 2-arm cluster randomized clinical trial is to test whether an evidence-based staff training and coaching model specifically designed as a response to legal system-involved youths' and frontline staff's mental health needs can improve the safety and suicide outcomes, mental health challenges, and wellness and facility climate for youth and staff in facilities assigned to the intervention condition. Staff in facilities assigned to the intervention are eligible to receive evidence-based programming in suicide detection and prevention (Shield of Care; SOC) and wellness skill-building (Skills for Life) through training and personalized coaching. Multiple training sessions will be offered to small groups of staff in-person in residential facilities and paired with personalized in-person and virtual coaching. Staff and youth in all facilities will be asked to complete periodic surveys assessing experiences in the facility, suicide and safety knowledge and risk, and their mental health and wellness. Researchers will compare outcomes of staff in youth in facilities assigned to the intervention compared to facilities in the training-as-usual condition.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Burnout, Professional; Suicide; Mental Health; Self Harm; Mental Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: SAFE Spaces training and coaching

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 1000
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10003
      • New York University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Placement in in ACS-run or contracted residential facilities enrolled in the study during the first 2 years of the intervention period
• Proficiency in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not placed in an ACS run-or contracted facility enrolled in the study during the study period
• Lack of proficiency in English.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: SAFE Spaces training and coaching; Staff in facilities assigned to this arm are offered the SAFE Spaces training and coaching model.	Behavioral: SAFE Spaces training and coaching; Staff in facilities assigned to the intervention are eligible to receive evidence-based programming in suicide detection and prevention (Shield of Care; SOC) and wellness skill-building (Skills for Life) through training and personalized coaching. Multiple training sessions will be offered to small groups of staff in-person in residential facilities and paired with personalized in-person and virtual coaching.
No Intervention: Training as Usual; Staff in facilities assigned to this arm receive training as usual.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Decreases in Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (Davis, 1992) and suicide subscale of Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument (Grisso et al., 2001)	Change in suicide ideation, thoughts, and behaviors	1 year
Decreases on Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (Nock et al., 2007)	Change in self-harm thoughts and behaviors	1 year
Decreases on internalizing and externalizing subscales of Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument (Grisso et al., 2001)	Change in mental health correlates of suicide	1 year
Decreased burnout and increased job efficacy on the Professional Quality of Life measure (Stramm, 2016) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory	Change in staff burnout and job efficacy	1 year
Change in responses on the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (Watson et al., 2007)	Change in staff mental health	1 year
Increased suicide knowledge and response skills from Tennessee's state-wide gatekeeper training (Schut & Lockman, 2013)	Change in suicide knowledge and response skills	1 year
Increased self-harm knowledge response skills from Tennessee's state-wide gatekeeper training (Schut & Lockman, 2013)	Change in self-harm knowledge and response skills	1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: New York University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 23, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 1, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 19, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): December 20, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 7, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 5, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Occupational Stress; Burnout, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Occupational Diseases; Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Suicide; Mental Disorders; Burnout, Professional; Self-Injurious Behavior; Psychological Well-Being
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB-FY2019-3228

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No