Children, young people and families from South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw who have been bereaved by suicide have developed a new toolkit to support families like their own in the aftermath of losing someone to suicide.
The toolkit offers advice and resources, and signposts to where children, young people and families and those who work with them can get further support if needed.
The toolkit was commissioned by NHS South Yorkshire, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield’s Local Authorities and health partners in Bassetlaw. Children, young people and families from South Yorkshire developed it with Chilypep, a young people’s empowerment project.
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw has a higher suicide rate than the England average, and the impact of suicide is complex and the effects are profound; not only on the family and friends of the person who has died but also on the wider community. In recognition of the importance that those who are bereaved from or affected by suicide receive the support they need, partners across the health and social care system are working together to develop a consistent approach which is informed by the experiences of those living in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw.
Leading the work for partners in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, Diane Lee, head of public health at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council said:
“We are pleased to be launching this toolkit which will help ensure that everyone around a child and young person who has been bereaved and affected by suicide, knows how to respond and support them.
“We are so grateful to all the children, young people and families who worked with Chilypep to help develop this toolkit, which will ensure others like them get the right support from all the people around them in the aftermath of their bereavement.”
The toolkit is available on the Chilypep website here: https://chilypep.org.uk/library-resources/support-for-those-affected-and-bereaved-by-suicide/ and copies of it will be given to children, young people and families following a bereavement by suicide.
The toolkit is the latest measure taken by partners in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, which aim to reduce by 10% the suicide rates in the region, as well as improving the support for people living in the aftermath of suicide.
Dr David Crichton, Chief Medical Officer at NHS South Yorkshire, said:
“Sadly, more people in our region take their own life than they do in other parts of the country.
“The effects of suicide are profound. Not only on the family and friends of the person who has died but also on the wider community.
“By joining together as health and care partners across South Yorkshire and also Bassetlaw we believe we can make a real and lasting difference for our citizens.
“This toolkit is a good example of the South Yorkshire spirit. Local people, themselves affected by tragedy, have come together to support the development of a tool to help others who find themselves in the same situation.
“I would like to thank them for taking time to support the development of this resource, their input means that we can be confident that we have developed something that will truly help children, young people and families in South Yorkshire.”
If you are suffering in the aftermath of suicide, or need to talk to someone, please contact Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or visit the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/