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Department for Education

Suicide response and postvention guidelines

Incident support helplines

Government schools: 08 8314 4100 (SWISS)

supports all SA government schools and preschools to respond to critical incidents and crisis events.

Catholic and independent schools: 0448 381 280 (Be You – headspace)

is a national service that helps schools prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impact of critical incidents.

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  • Suicide response
    • Immediate
      • Immediate response
      • Get help – contact details
    • First 24 hours
      • Notification of a student’s death: how it works
      • Convene your school's emergency response team
      • Identify and plan support for vulnerable students
      • Inform staff – as soon as possible
      • Set up a support room for students
      • How staff can talk with students after a sudden death
      • Let students know
      • Let the wider community know
      • Plan media liaison
      • Keep a check on social media
    • Days 2 and 3
      • Restore school to regular routine
      • Liaise with bereaved family
      • Advise staff of relevant actions
      • Think about the student's funeral
      • Keep checking on students and refer if needed
      • Keep checking on staff wellbeing
      • Keep the student's family informed
      • Protect the deceased student's belongings for the police and family
      • Keep documenting actions
    • First month
      • Keep checking on staff and student wellbeing
      • Plan for relevant school events
      • Critical incident reviews
    • Later
      • Continue to support and check in with students and staff
      • Keep parents, carers, staff and students informed
      • Recovery plans
      • Think about new staff
    • Tools
      • Scripts and letters
      • Prepared message: from education directors to site leaders (about sudden death)
      • Prepared message: from sector offices to site leaders (about a former student’s sudden death)
      • Script for leaders to students (about sudden death)
      • Services for families and the community
      • Being prepared: ‘placemats’ to help site leaders prepare and support students
      • Think about what to document
      • Critical incident review reflection
    • In more detail
      • How to set up a support room
      • How to identify students who might need help
      • Aboriginal staff and students – support at school
      • Gender diverse, intersex and sexually diverse students – support at school
      • Memorials and tributes
      • Deliberate self-harm
      • Build working partnerships with external mental health professionals
      • About these guidelines
      • How to use these guidelines
      • Glossary of terms: suicide response and postvention guidelines

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  • Notification of a student’s death: how it works
  • Convene your school's emergency response team
  • Identify and plan support for vulnerable students
  • Inform staff – as soon as possible
  • Set up a support room for students
  • How staff can talk with students after a sudden death
  • Let students know
  • Let the wider community know
  • Plan media liaison
  • Keep a check on social media
  • Department for Education
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  • Acknowledgement of Country
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  • Menu
  • Suicide response and postvention guidelines
  • Immediate
    • Immediate response
    • Get help – contact details
  • First 24 hours
    • Notification of a student’s death: how it works
    • Convene your school's emergency response team
    • Identify and plan support for vulnerable students
    • Inform staff – as soon as possible
    • Set up a support room for students
    • How staff can talk with students after a sudden death
    • Let students know
    • Let the wider community know
    • Plan media liaison
    • Keep a check on social media
  • Days 2 and 3
    • Restore school to regular routine
    • Liaise with bereaved family
    • Advise staff of relevant actions
    • Think about the student's funeral
    • Keep checking on students and refer if needed
    • Keep checking on staff wellbeing
    • Keep the student's family informed
    • Protect the deceased student's belongings for the police and family
    • Keep documenting actions
  • First month
    • Keep checking on staff and student wellbeing
    • Plan for relevant school events
    • Critical incident reviews
  • Later
    • Continue to support and check in with students and staff
    • Keep parents, carers, staff and students informed
    • Recovery plans
    • Think about new staff
  • Tools
    • Scripts and letters
    • Prepared message: from education directors to site leaders (about sudden death)
    • Prepared message: from sector offices to site leaders (about a former student’s sudden death)
    • Script for leaders to students (about sudden death)
    • Services for families and the community
    • Being prepared: ‘placemats’ to help site leaders prepare and support students
    • Think about what to document
    • Critical incident review reflection
  • In more detail
    • How to set up a support room
    • How to identify students who might need help
    • Aboriginal staff and students – support at school
    • Gender diverse, intersex and sexually diverse students – support at school
    • Memorials and tributes
    • Deliberate self-harm
    • Build working partnerships with external mental health professionals
    • About these guidelines
    • How to use these guidelines
    • Glossary of terms
  • Acknowledgement of Country