Suicide prevention - Protect Life - Ministerial workshop report

The Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Mr Edwin Poots MLA, asked Department officials and the Public Health Agency to organise a workshop to support the implementation of the Protect Life Strategy and to consider what further action is needed in order to tackle the high level of suicides and self harm in Northern Ireland.

The resulting report from the event is attached below.

The event primarily provided an opportunity to explore the views and perspectives of the community and voluntary sector. Community and Voluntary (C&V) organisations funded through the Northern Ireland Suicide Prevention Strategy Protect Life – A Shared Vision (DHSSPS 2006) were personally invited to the workshop along with key representatives from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), the Public Health Agency (PHA), the Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCT), the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and members of the NI Executive Health Committee.

In total, there were 118 participants, 54 from the statutory sector and 64 from the C&V sector. A full list of attendees is detailed in Appendix 1.