Our postvention guidance was created to help guide universities with what to do in the immediate aftermath of a death by suicide. This practical guidance offers recommendations, an extensive checklist and resources to help institutions define their response to a student suicide.
This guidance is designed to offer practical advice and support to senior leaders and staff working within student services. However, it will likely be of interest to anyone working in higher education who may need to be involved in responding to the death of a student.
What universities do in the immediate aftermath of a death by suicide matters. Those leading a response are faced with the complex and sensitive task of providing support to family members, friends, staff, and a wider university community who are often struggling to process and come to terms with what has happened.
In this guidance, we set out a three-stage approach to defining your institution’s response:
including:
including:
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A step-by-step checklist that sets out specific actions to take in the immediate aftermath of a student’s death, in the following days, and in the longer term.
A short resource for those involved in setting up and running a postvention team. It includes role descriptions, person specifications, and a template first meeting agenda.
Examples of the kind of communication that you may need to send to the wider community and in response to media enquiries.
A guide to setting up and running a serious incident review, with template forms to help you capture information, and structure your findings.
An overview of what to expect when giving evidence at an inquest, including practical advice to help staff prepare and present their evidence.
This list covers some of the areas you will need to consider in your approach to communications after the death of a student.
This resource outlines the support that should be put in place for security staff.
