When a suicide or a suicide attempt occurs, the effect on families, young people and communities is immediate and traumatic.
The list below outlines the key actions that schools can take immediately after being advised of a death by suicide. Many of these tasks will coincide with your critical incident management plans.
- Contact relevant mental health services for support.
- If the incident happened at school, ensure the immediate safety of staff and young people — for example, provide first aid and call an ambulance and the police. Ensure the scene is secure and any witnesses are moved to an area for support.
- If the incident happened away from school, find out as many of the facts as possible. Investigate rumours immediately. Confirm facts with the family or police.
- Ensure those affected — young people, family and staff — are not left alone. Contact the families of young people and staff.
- Inform the relevant representative at your state or territory education department or equivalent body.
- Contact your Be You Consultant for support and guidance as required.
- Contact the bereaved family. Ask how to refer to the death when informing the school community. If the family agree, use the term ‘suicide’.
- Convene the Emergency Response Team (ERT). Refer to your postvention plan or department guidelines, and modify the plan as required for the circumstances.
- Identify any ERT staff who are impacted and need to change responsibilities or opt out of managing the response.
- Inform staff — in person if possible. Contact staff who aren’t on site. Don’t talk about or describe the method of suicide.
- Identify and plan support for young people at increased risk of suicide.
- Set up a support room for young people.
- Inform students in small groups via a script. Don’t describe the method of suicide. Note any absent students or any students who are very distressed.
- Inform families. Include information relating to help services. Don’t describe the method of suicide.
- Provide front office or administration staff with a script to respond to phone and online inquiries.
- Inform the wider community as appropriate.
- Nominate a media liaison ERT member. Contact the media liaison adviser in the central office of your relevant education authority. Plan a response to any media enquiries.
- Plan a response for social media.
- Ensure staff have support within the school, and access to external professional advice where required.
- Remove the deceased person from any automated messaging systems, such as library or school fee notices. This will avoid unnecessary distress for the bereaved family.