Suicide prevention support

Postvention protocol for a suspected death by suicide

The standard protocol in the event of suspected death by suicide in a West Northamptonshire school community (this should be the same if the event occurs during term time or holidays) can be found in the support package below.

The support package will help guide you through the 5 steps in the event of a suspected suicide.

Below provides an overview of the main steps at a glance. The downloadable Postvention Support Package for Educational Establishments provides more details on each step, resources, helplines and further information.

Step 1: Notification

Educational establishments to notify West Northamptonshire Council’s Emergency Planning Team on 07442 691327 in the first instance of a suspected death by suicide in an educational establishment community.

Please refrain from contacting further services/support (excluding emergency services) at this point and avoid sharing any personally identifiable information with others.

Step 2: Critical incident support

The Duty Emergency Planning Officer will contact the West Northamptonshire Council’s Children’s Directorate Critical Incident Coordinator to start the Critical Incident Support. This will involve additional support which includes the West Northamptonshire Council’s Educational Psychology Service and Public Health Suicide Prevention Team.

The Educational Psychology Service can support the educational establishment senior leadership team to plan the immediate response to the situation so that they feel confident to respond in a way that promotes safety, calmness, connectedness, a sense of control and hope.

Step 3: Breaking the news

Check with the police, family and the West Northamptonshire Council’s Children’s Directorate Critical Incident Coordinator to agree the information that will be helpful to be shared at this time. Be mindful that the cause of death may not have been confirmed as a suicide yet and that the family may not want the cause of death to be disclosed.

Step 4: Managing risk

With support from a member of the Educational Psychology Service, the educational establishment should consider which students and staff members may be more vulnerable in order to plan appropriate support. Using the Circles of Vulnerability Matrix can support this process.

Step 5: Appropriate support

Best practice in supporting traumatic events provides practical care and support to mobilise and strengthen existing support networks.

Last updated 13 August 2025