What is postvention and postvention planning?

When a suicide occurs, the effect on families, young people and communities can be immediate and traumatic. 

The impact on a school community is equally profound. Often staff feel unprepared and uncertain about how to respond. 

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2022* identifies suicide as the leading cause of death for children and young people aged between 15 years and 24 years, with many more young people considering or attempting suicide. 

When we consider this in the context of a school setting, responding to the suicide death of a student, parent, carer, or staff member is sadly an experience that many school leaders and staff find themselves having to navigate. An appropriate and timely response to suicide can reduce the impact on those affected and aid in the recovery of the school community. 

The provision of an evidence-informed postvention response can lower the risk of subsequent suicides and provide support to those broader school community who may be vulnerable.

What is suicide postvention?

Postvention refers to activities implemented by a learning community after a suicide has occurred with the aim to:

• Minimise the impact of exposure and reduce the effects of suicide contagion.
• Avoid glamorising, sensationalising, and stigmatising suicide.
• Ensure accurate information is provided to reduce the effects of trauma and dispel myths or rumours.
• Normalise and encourage help-seeking behaviours and provide clear referral pathways for support.
• Assist the school community with longer-term recovery.
• Maximise protective factors within the school and the school community.
• Empower school staff and the school community to respond safety and enact evidence-informed practice.

Why do schools need a dedicated a postvention plan? 

Given the unique contexts of school communities and the risk of suicide contagion, it’s critical to develop a tailored response to:

• Prepare your school community to be ready should a death by suicide occur.
• Provide tools to support you to map potential suicide risk across your school community based on your own unique context.
• Guide your school response to a death by suicide and the subsequent ongoing recovery for the community. 

What is a postvention plan? 

A postvention plan supports your school’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) to outline:

• Clear actions for responding in the immediate, short term, and long term.
• The role of staff and defined responsibilities. 
• Key contacts and supports for the school community.
  
  

How can Be You Consultants support your school? 

Be You Consultants provide support by:

• Supporting schools in responding to a suicide.
• Guiding schools through an evidence-informed response to a suicide, an attempt or death that supports your unique situation and needs.
• Supporting your whole school community’s ongoing recovery and approach to prevention. 
• Complementing and working within your school's existing critical incident plans and procedures.
• Providing postvention planning workshops for secondary schools.
• Providing introductory online postvention planning sessions. 
• Recommending Professional Learning modules.

Need support?

Be You Consultants are here to support your learning community. 

If your school is currently responding to or recovering from a suicide or attempted suicide, contact your Be You state or territory manager.

If you are personally impacted by a suicide or suicide attempt at your school, it's important to seek help. Be You has a list of mental health support services and helplines.

Explore more 

Be You has a range of Professional Learning, tools and resources to support your school. 

• Suicide Prevention and Response.
• Online Professional Learning modules.
• Fact Sheets to support capacity building.

Further reading of interest

• What are the early signs of school refusal article

References 

*Causes of Death, Australia, 2021 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au).