Suicide Response (Postvention)

Resources

Responding to the suicide of a student: a guide to assist secondary schools (PDF)(opens in a new window).

Immediate response

• Appendix 1 – Immediate response checklist (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 2 – Script to inform staff (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 3 – Script to inform students (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 4 – Supporting resource for front office staff (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 5 – Self-care for staff following exposure to a suicide (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 6 – Email/letter template to families (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 6 – Email/letter template to families (DOCX)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 7 – Identifying young people at risk (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Overview: key actions and stages following the suicide of a secondary student (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Overview: informing and supporting your school community following the suicide of a secondary student (PDF)(opens in a new window).

Short-term

• Appendix 8 – Short-term response checklist (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Appendix 10 – Operational debrief reflection guide (PDF)(opens in a new window).

Long-term

Appendix 9 – Longer term response checklist (PDF)(opens in a new window).

The Mental Health Toolkit

The Mental Health Toolkit(opens in a new window) provides guidance to schools on:

• promoting mental health and wellbeing in your school(opens in a new window)
• mental health training and support(opens in a new window)
• mental health practitioners in secondary schools(opens in a new window)
• headspace counselling for secondary students(opens in a new window)
• mental health supports in primary schools(opens in a new window)
• mental health support after an emergency or natural disaster(opens in a new window).

Additional supporting resources

The Department of Education and Training Victoria: policies and resources:

• Reporting and Managing School Incidents (including emergencies)
• Emergency Management Plan(opens in a new window)
• Student Support Services
• Duty of Care
• Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning
• International Student Program
• Managing Trauma: A guide to responding to a critical incident (PDF)(opens in a new window) (staff login required)
• Principal Health and Wellbeing
• Respectful Relationships(opens in a new window)
• Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships(opens in a new window)
• SAFEMinds – safety map(opens in a new window)
• Suicide Risk Continuum Training(opens in a new window)
• External health and wellbeing tips and resources(opens in a new window) (staff login required)
• Safe Schools(opens in a new window).

Resources for students and parents/carers

Resources for students

• Dealing With Grief And Loss and The Effects on Mental Health(opens in a new window) – headspace
• Tips To Keep Good Mental Health – for Young People(opens in a new window) – headspace
• How To Help A Friend With Their Mental Health(opens in a new window) – headspace
• Are you okay? Young people and mental health(opens in a new window) – Centre for Multicultural Youth.

Resources for parents/carers

• Be You(opens in a new window): Suicide in Schools – information for families
• headspace(opens in a new window) (Grief, Supporting Young People)
• Conversations Matter(opens in a new window) (Telling a child about suicide).

Supporting CALD students and communities

• Conversations Matter:
  • Supporting CALD communities to talk about suicide – a guide for professionals(opens in a new window)
  • When communities are affected by suicide(opens in a new window)
• Embrace multicultural mental health(opens in a new window); Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (the Embrace Project) is run by Mental Health Australia and provides a national focus on mental health and suicide prevention for people from CALD backgrounds.

Supporting students and communities with a refugee background

• School’s In for Refugees(opens in a new window)
• Foundation House Trauma Recovery Framework(opens in a new window)

Community mental health and wellbeing resources

• headspace(opens in a new window)
• Beyond Blue(opens in a new window):
  • Mental health conditions in young people – suicide(opens in a new window)
  • Suicide Prevention – After a suicide loss(opens in a new window)
• Kids Helpline(opens in a new window)
• Lifeline(opens in a new window)
• National Communications Charter(opens in a new window)
• Be You(opens in a new window):
  • Wellbeing tools for you(opens in a new window)
  • Mental health continuum(opens in a new window)
  • Be You – responding to a death that can’t be referred to as a suicide(opens in a new window)
  • Be You Organising Speakers Guide(opens in a new window)
• Conversations Matter(opens in a new window):
  • Those bereaved by suicide(opens in a new window)
  • When communities are impacted by suicide(opens in a new window)
  • Telling a child about suicide(opens in a new window)
  • Supporting CALD communities to talk about suicide – a guide for professionals(opens in a new window)
• Orygen Specialist Program(opens in a new window):
  • #ChatSafe(opens in a new window)
• 5 Ways to wellbeing(opens in a new window)
• The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement(opens in a new window):
  • Children and grief(opens in a new window)
  • Grief information factsheets(opens in a new window)
• Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc.(opens in a new window)
• Victorian Aboriginal Health Service(opens in a new window)
• Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation(opens in a new window)
• Suicide in Schools: Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Grief: how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people might respond to suicide (PDF)(opens in a new window)
• Rainbow Network(opens in a new window)