Report attached.

Cabinet:

Agreed the Havering All-age Suicide Prevention Strategy.  

Report Title: Havering All-Age Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-30 

Presented by: Councillor Gillian Ford, Deputy Leader, Cabinet Member for Adults & Wellbeing

Summary:

Making suicide prevention everyone’s business is a process in which every organisation working in, and for, Havering must do to play their part in keeping people safe from suicide. The strategy sets out how to achieve this; organisation’s strategies, policies and services will be suicide-informed, knowledge and awareness amongst Havering residents and Council employees will be increased

Councillor Ford thanked the everyone for their contribution

This five-year strategy titled Havering All-age Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2030: Working Together to Save Lives sets out why death by suicide is a priority for concern, the suicide risk factors and inequalities associated with death by suicide, and what work can be done to help reduce suicidality going forward within Havering. Suicide is often the end of a complex history of risk factors and distressing events, and can result in a profound and long-lasting impact on families and friends, neighbours, workplaces, and schools, and bereavement by suicide is in itself a risk factor for death by suicide. 

Every death by suicide is preventable, so the strategy aims to set out suicide prevention activities within Havering; leading to a reduction in the number of deaths by suicide over the next five years. This aim will be met through objectives focused on: 

·        identifying those at increased risk and applying the most effective evidence-based interventions for our local population and setting 

·        prevention activities across the system including increasing knowledge and reducing stigma 

·        support at both individual and population levels, including those at risk of suicide and the bereaved  

These objectives will be achieved through the delivery of a detailed action plan, and monitored by a Havering Suicide Prevention Steering Group with a membership drawn from representatives of the Council and NHS, Safeguarding leads, mental health charities, and people with lived experience. 

The suicide prevention strategy went to public consultation and now seeks approval for the strategy to be adopted. The public consultation received views and comments of residents, stakeholders, the voluntary and community sector and workforces of statutory agencies. Responses to the consultation were then analysed. Please see consultation report in the papers attached. 

Cabinet:

Agreed the Havering All-age Suicide Prevention Strategy.