Supporting schools to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people

New local service for anyone affected by a bereavement by suicide

Monday 4th December 2023

A brand new service for Swindon and Wiltshire is going live in December.

The Swindon and Wiltshire Support after Suicide Service will be joining the Access Community Mental Health offer, for anyone affected by a bereavement by suicide. Bringing together a tried and tested model of suicide bereavement support in other areas such as Gloucestershire, North Central London, Brighton, Surrey and the Black Country, Rethink Mental Illness will be accepting referrals for anyone who needs emotional as well as practical support, in the aftermath of a suicide.

Support will be offered to families, including children, friends and also work colleagues who may be affected by the loss. People can be supported who may have had no connection to the person who died, but who may have witnessed the death or the scene.

Referrals will be come directly to the bereavement team from the police, but anyone can refer themselves or someone else for support. Support can be provided for someone up to a maximum of 2 years following the death.

Any calls or referrals should be passed on to: SandWsupportaftersuicide@rethink.org , and the service manager for this new team is Kelsey Smith, Kelsey.Smith@Rethink.org

A series of webinars will be hosted for you to find out more about suicide bereavement, and the new service:

11th December- 12.30pm-13:30pm
13th December- 16:00pm- 17:00pm
15th January 2024- 13:00-14:00pm
24th January 2024- 16:00-17:00pm
13th February 2024- 10:00-11:00am

Please request an invite by emailing Charlotte.Barrett@rethink.org

Useful documents

Please note: In the event of a suspected suicide at a Wiltshire school, please follow the critical incident protocol by calling Wiltshire Council on 0300 456 0100. This will trigger support from the educational psychology team and other services.

Catch up with other recent news stories here