Suicide Prevention and Intervention
In collaboration with our mental health partners we have developed a community response system for students who have thoughts of suicide or have attempted suicide and are at risk of harm to themselves. The Suicide Risk Management Best Practice Guidelines was created for educators and the mental health team to guide their actions when a student is identified to be of high risk. We have trained our mental health team (Suicide Assist through Living Works) to screen students at risk for suicide and support them to attain additional services as required.
The mental health team and the administrative teams are well versed in the process of ensuring the student and family are connected to appropriate supports and when necessary support a student to and from hospitalization. Our Mental Health Nurses assist the student through these transitions and help them access additional psychiatric services if required or to navigate the complex health system.
We have been providing to educators and to the community at large training on being a suicide alert helper and equipping them with the skills needed to have those difficult conversations as they arise. The training is described below and the NNDSB has 2 certified trainers.
SafeTALK
SafeTALK is a half day (3 hour) suicide alertness workshop that prepares anyone over the age of 15, regardless of prior experience or training, to become a suicide-alert helper. SafeTALK-trained helpers can recognize these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources, such as caregivers trained in ASIST. SafeTALK – trained helpers are an important part of suicide-safer communities, working alongside intervention resources to identify and avert suicide risks. This training offers certification through Living Works and is a well-recognized program. Our CDC’s and other mental health staff are trained in ASIST which is an intervention level of training. These trainings complement each other and are intended to work together to reduce the risk of suicide. Trained helpers are an important part of suicide-safer communities, working alongside intervention resources to identify and avert suicide risks. The NNDSB has 2 dedicated trainers that are continuously training board staff as part of a larger community-wide suicide prevention strategy. For more information go to:
Be Safe by mindyourmind.ca
As part of our suicide prevention strategy, we have populated the local resources in this easily downloadable app to assist students who are at risk to navigate crisis services. For more information go to: BeSafeAPP.ca
This app helps a student to:
- Create a safety plan
- Find local resources for support
- Be prepared if you find yourself in a crisis
