Four weeks to go for suicide bereavement consultation

Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement
Suicide consultation services graphic

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging anyone who has been bereaved by suicide to have their voice heard in a public consultation on support services.

The consultation on services for those who have been bereaved by suicide runs until Sunday 9 April with some in-person and online events still taking place. There is also an online survey to provide views on existing and possible future services.

Fiona Teague, Head of Health Improvement at the PHA, said: “The PHA recognises how important it is to regularly review services that are in place to provide support for families and communities who have been impacted by suicide. It is also essential to listen to the views of people who use the services, particularly families, local communities and other organisations. This will help ensure the services are fit for the purpose to meet their needs.

“I encourage all those who feel they can participate in the consultation to consider taking some time over the next four weeks to attend any of the remaining online or in-person events or to submit views through an online survey.

“Your voice must be heard and it will help the PHA best support individuals and communities in need of these services in the future.”

In September 2019, the Department of Health published ‘Protect Life 2: A Strategy for Preventing Suicide and Self Harm in Northern Ireland’ – a long-term strategy for reducing suicides and the incidence of self-harm, with actions to be delivered across a range of government departments, agencies, and sectors.

“The consultation is a valuable way to gather the views of individuals directly affected by suicide, understand their needs and determine how the Protect Life 2 Strategy actions for which the PHA is responsible could be designed and delivered to support those in need,” Fiona added.

Get involved

There are a number of ways to get involved. You can participate in an engagement event, either online or in person, or complete an online survey.

The online survey is available at  https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/hsc/postvention-consultation 

Virtual events, held online, and in-person events will last for approximately 1.5 – 2 hours. In-person events have been organised on a geographical basis, covering five Health and Social Care Trust areas, with additional evening online sessions open to all areas. Places are limited and booking is essential.

Details on these engagement events can be found at www.pha.site/Consultation2022 and include the below;

 

Notes to editor:

  • The public consultation commenced on Monday 16 January 2023.
  • In September 2019, the Department of Health published ‘Protect Life 2: A Strategy for Preventing Suicide and Self Harm in Northern Ireland’ – www.health-ni.gov.uk/protectlife2
  • The strategy includes specific actions which the PHA is responsible for delivering, and the agency is now undertaking a consultation on postvention services
  • In order for the PHA to develop future services to meet these actions, it is important to review current services and most importantly listen to the views of service users, local communities and other organisations delivering services, through the consultation process.
  • An eight-week pre-consultation process was held in February-April 2021.