VERMONT SUICIDE POSTVENTION PROTOCOLS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE & YOUTH SERVICE PROFESSIONALS CONTEXT & APPLICATION AFTER AN ATTEMPT AFTER A DEATH I. CONTEXT & APPLICATION CONTEXT: Postvention protocol is applied to two situations: 1) attempted suicide and 2) completed suicide. In the course of performing professional duties, Social Service & Youth Service Professionals may encounter a person attempting a suicide, at risk for suicidal behavior, or be one of the first on the scene following a suicide attempt or a death by suicide. This protocol covers postvention activities after an attempted suicide. This is a companion document to SUICIDE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROTOCOLS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE & YOUTH SERVICE PROFESSIONALS. The following are suggested suicide postvention protocols based in best practices tailored to Social Service and Youth Service, on how to respond to an attempted suicide and/or a death by suicide. These sample protocols have been reviewed by faith leaders. This outline can give your organization guidance in creating your own postvention protocols, based on research conducted by professionals in the field of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. If your organization has existing crisis response policies and procedures, or if there are state statutes that dictate the actions of your profession, they must be integrated with any new plans that result from this document. . Also, the age of the person in danger may affect how protocols are carried out. Appendix E: HIPAA & FERPA has guidelines on notification requirements when working with youth, as well as Vermont guidelines on treatment refusal in adults and youth. We would greatly appreciate it if you would bring to the attention of the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, a program of Center for Health and Learning () any statutes or profession-specific regulations that impact your implementation of suicide postvention protocols, so that we may add them to the Appendices as a resource for others. APPLICATION: Maintaining protocols on what to do under stressful circumstances helps us to respond quickly, appropriately, and effectively. Clear, specific protocols provide you with the steps to take, and also inform your knowledge of why these evidence-based steps are the recommended best practice. In Item II below, these protocols cover suggested basic steps following an attempted suicide in your organization or community. The protocol also provides additional steps to be considered in the days, weeks and months afterward. A primary concern in postvention is the prevention of “suicide contagion,” a process defined as the suicide of one individual
VERMONT SUICIDE POSTVENTION PROTOCOLS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE & YOUTH SERVICE PROFESSIONALS CONTEXT & APPLICATION AFTER AN ATTEMPT AFTER A DEATH I. CONTEXT & APPLICATION CONTEXT: Postvention protocol is applied to two situations: 1) attempted suicide and 2) completed suicide. In the course of performing professional duties, Social Service & Youth Service Professionals may encounter a person attempting a suicide, at risk for suicidal behavior, or be one of the first on the scene following a suicide attempt or a death by suicide. This protocol covers postvention activities after an attempted suicide. This is a companion document to SUICIDE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROTOCOLS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE & YOUTH SERVICE PROFESSIONALS. The following are suggested suicide postvention protocols based in best practices tailored to Social Service and Youth Service, on how to respond to an attempted suicide and/or a death by suicide. These sample protocols have been reviewed by faith leaders. This outline can give your organization guidance in creating your own postvention protocols, based on research conducted by professionals in the field of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. If your organization has existing crisis response policies and procedures, or if there are state statutes that dictate the actions of your profession, they must be integrated with any new plans that result from this document. . Also, the age of the person in danger may affect how protocols are carried out. Appendix E: HIPAA & FERPA has guidelines on notification requirements when working with youth, as well as Vermont guidelines on treatment refusal in adults and youth. We would greatly appreciate it if you would bring to the attention of the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, a program of Center for Health and Learning () any statutes or profession-specific regulations that impact your implementation of suicide postvention protocols, so that we may add them to the Appendices as a resource for others. APPLICATION: Maintaining protocols on what to do under stressful circumstances helps us to respond quickly, appropriately, and effectively. Clear, specific protocols provide you with the steps to take, and also inform your knowledge of why these evidence-based steps are the recommended best practice. In Item II below, these protocols cover suggested basic steps following an attempted suicide in your organization or community. The protocol also provides additional steps to be considered in the days, weeks and months afterward. A primary concern in postvention is the prevention of “suicide contagion,” a process defined as the suicide of one individual
Final-Social-Youth-Services-POSTvention.docx