Guidelines to assist in responding to attempted suicide or suicide by ...

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The availability of instantsocial networks mean schoolsmust now consider Facebook,Twitter, and Tumblr whencommunicating with students.- Quote from a PrincipalMediaContact the Department’s Media Unit if assistance with media requests forinformation is required. The DEECD Media Unit can be contacted 24 hours a day,seven days a week on 9637 2871.Any media interest in a suicide has the potential to hinder a school’s futurepostvention work so planning to protect against this is important.If you do provide a comment or are interviewed, the Department’s policy is toacknowledge the tragedy and sadness of the incident not to divulge details.Appropriate media reporting presents facts, includes discussion of depressionand mental illness, provides information about help lines and communityresources and publicises risk factors and warning signs.Inappropriate media reporting tends to:• give details of the method of suicide and suggest simplistic explanations forthe suicide• glorify or sensationalise the person and their suicide• use photographs or suicide notes.Social MediaYoung people communicate with each other instantly and globally. Containingthe spread of information about an attempted suicide or suicide is impossible.However schools can proactively influence what and how information is sharedbetween students, parents and staff.Strategies for doing this might include:• overseeing the school’s use of social media• using social media to disseminate information and promote suicide preventionefforts, respond to rumours, and to provide information about mental illnessand the supports available to those who may displaying symptoms, riskfactors, and warning signs of mental illness, suicidal ideation etc.• convening a small group of the deceased student’s friends to work with theschool’s IMT to monitor social networking sites and other social media forrumoursinformation about upcoming or impromptu gatheringsderogatory messages about the deceasedmessages victimising of bullying current studentscomments indicating students may be at risk or vulnerable.22Section B: First 24 hours
Section C: 48-72 hours
Page 1: Guidelines to assist in respondingt
Page 4 and 5: IntroductionDealing with the tragic
Page 6 and 7: Privacy: Personal and health inform
Page 8 and 9: A: Immediate responseif the attempt
Page 10 and 11: The loss of a young life is alwayst
Page 12 and 13: B: In the first 24 Hourscontact the
Page 14 and 15: The school’s response,recovery an
Page 16 and 17: Do not provide details ofthe method
Page 20 and 21: C: In the first 48-72 HoursSchool l
Page 22 and 23: Coroners Court of Victoria: Family
Page 24 and 25: Monitor studentsIn the first 24 hou
Page 26 and 27: Protecting a deceased student’s b
Page 28 and 29: D: In the first monthSchool leaders
Page 31 and 32: Section E: Suicide cluster
Page 34 and 35: F: In the longer termcontinue to mo
Page 36 and 37: School staff cannot take solerespon
Page 38 and 39: G: Sample documentsletters for pare
Page 40 and 41: Information to assist staff in talk
Page 42 and 43: Parent letter: for use following th
Page 44 and 45: Parent letter attachment No. 2Where
Page 46 and 47: Section H: DefinitionsAttempted sui
Page 48 and 49: Appendicies
Page 50 and 51: Short term: Student focused safety
Page 52 and 53: Restoring wellbeing of parents and
Page 54 and 55: Restoring wellbeing in the schoolco
Page 57: Appendix E: Operationaldebrief refl
Page 60 and 61: Phase 2 - Intervention/postvention:
Page 62: ensure the school returns to its re

Guidelines to assist in responding to attempted suicide or suicide by ...

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