A special suicide bereavement support conference is being planned in Armagh early next month.
And it is just one of a number of initiatives being organised as part of efforts locally to raise awareness of suicide, promote prevention and help those affected.
A comprehensive report presented to ABC Council’s community and wellbeing committee detailed ongoing initiatives and programmes across the borough.
Multiple councillors hailed the “fantastic work” being done.
And, at the same time, one said he was keen to see the council reaching out to sporting and community-based organisations when planning programmes around suicide awareness in the future.
Presented by community services manager Alison Clenaghan, she said mental health and wellbeing was a “key priority” across a number of programmes in community development, most notably with its health inequalities programme, but also throughout others like PCSP, Neighbourhood Renewal and Peace Plus.
The report, she said, contained details of some of the more “specific work areas and some of the partnership working that has a focus on signposting in terms of suicide prevention and suicide awareness raising”.
Elaborating on just of that work, Ms Clenaghan, told the committee: “There are a number of partnerships that we would be involved in. The key one in terms of suicide prevention would be the Southern Protect Life Implementation Group and I would sit on that alongside a range of partners.
“In partnership with the Southern Protect Life Implementation Group and PIPS Hope and Support, we are involved in the organising of a suicide bereavement support conference, and that will be taking place on October 2 in Armagh City Hotel, entitled ‘Hope After Loss’.
“It is primarily being targeted at those families who have been directly bereaved by suicide, but also it will be open to the general public and other partners as well.”
The community services manager said the health inequalities action plan also contained a number of “various strands that have a very specific focus on mental health” which were also detailed.
She told the committee, that as of September 10, they had now entered a month-long mental health campaign, organised by the Public Health Agency and entitled ‘Feeling Anxious’.
It, added Ms Clenaghan, had “a bit more of a focus on anxiety and stress”, but was “essentially for people to be able to check in, look at techniques they can use, look at how to get signposting and support when it becomes a bit more than maybe just day-to-day anxiety and they need increased support”.
She also furnished councillors with a “range of resources” including information from LifeLine and the ‘Mind Your Head’ website, inviting them to avail of these and distribute them.
A second paper also detailed “useful contacts and support services” for a range of mental health provision and suicide prevention.
“This is a key area of work,” said Ms Clenaghan. “It continues to be a key priority for us and, where we have the opportunity to work in partnership to address these very important issues, we do so.”
Alliance Councillor Robbie Alexander, who chaired the committee, praised the “extremely valuable work going on”, while Sinn Fein Councillor Brona Haughey – who also welcomed suicide prevention training being planned and provided by the Lord Mayor Mary O’Dowd – thanked the speaker and her team for their “fantastic work”.
She added: “My constituency especially has been really badly affected by suicide and I know that the communities and the families throughout, those people really appreciate this.
“I’ll definitely be using the resources and spreading awareness.”
Ulster Unionist Councillor Kyle Savage added his thanks for the ongoing work.
“It is a very important issue, as we all know,” he said. “Throughout rural communities, we’ve seen the rates increase, and right throughout our council area, and it’s good to see that we are taking the lead and connecting with all those local support groups, right throughout.
“There is a lot of support groups within our council area, but it’s ensuring that that message of hope is delivered right throughout and, indeed, to use the many events that we have to raise that and to let people know that there is hope out there for them.”
SDLP Councillor Thomas O’Hanlon was grateful too for all the work to date.
But going forward, he wanted to see if council could engage further and establish contacts with the sporting community, and “try and encourage people from clubs and organisations to come on board as part of the awareness raising”.
“As we’re designing out programmes in the future, maybe if we could consider reaching out to coaches and the likes who see, particularly, young people on a weekly or a daily basis and start to see maybe some trends or people starting to be withdrawn or anything like that or needing a wee bit of peer support,” said Councillor O’Hanlon. “So I would be keen to see us reaching out to organisations beyond the existing support network.”
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