Connecting for Life Goal 4: Better Access to Supports

To enhance accessibility, consistency and care pathways of services for people vulnerable to suicidal behaviour.

Goal four of Connecting for Life, Ireland's national strategy to reduce suicide 2015-2020, aims to enhance accessibility, consistency and care pathways of services for people vulnerable to suicidal behaviour.

A person vulnerable to suicidal behaviour requires easy access to a continuum of support in accordance with his or her needs at a particular time – from a sensitive response to a disclosure of distress to crisis management or appropriate referral, psychotherapeutic interventions or longer-term support. Transition points between services need to operate under widely understood protocols, ensuring the person is guided through a supportive network of assistance and that the work of statutory and non-statutory service providers enhance and complement each other. In some geographical areas there are clusters of services and supports for certain groups, while in other areas there are service gaps. What is more, the response to the person in distress may vary according to the type and location of the service. The foundations of a sustained approach to preventing and reducing suicide and (especially repeated) self-harm are consistently available services and integrated care pathways, across both statutory and non-statutory services.

Objectives

• 4.1 Improve psychosocial and psychiatric assessment and care pathways for people vulnerable to suicidal behaviour.
• 4.2 Improve access to effective therapeutic interventions (e.g. counselling, DBT, CBT) for people vulnerable to suicide.
• 4.3 Improve the uniformity, effectiveness and timeliness of support services to families and communities bereaved by suicide.