Assessing 3rd PARTY SUICIDE Risk
Not all questions need to be asked – remember to stay with the visitor and listen to what is happening for them!
Information Sharing
Where necessary, we can offer information to the visitor in regards to how to support the person of concern. This information comes in the form of encouraging
help-seeking behavior. For example, you can:
• Let the visitor know all suicidal risk should be addressed. “If you’re worried about suicide it’s best to ask the person of concern clearly and directly”
• Share the TALK: acronym
o Tell them you are concerned by the behavior you are seeing and care about their safety
o Ask if suicide (self-harm/abuse) is a concern
o Listen to their feelings without judgement
o Keep safe – connect them to resources
• Share the Youthspace online resource for How to Support Someone Thinking of Suicide
Risk Assessing Low Medium High
• What has them worried the person of concern is considering suicide?
• Do they think the risk is imminent?
• Do they know if the person of concern has made a specific plan for suicide? If so,
How? When? Where? Do they have access to their method?
• Has the person of concern acted this way before? What happened?
Safety Planning Low Medium High
• Is the person of concern willing and able to create a safety plan with the visitor?
• Is the person of concern open to talking to us, or another resource?
• Do they think the person of concern will reach out to them or another resource
if their risk increases?
Resources
• Does anyone else know about the person of concern’s suicidal risk? If not – who is the visitor able to tell?
• Does the visitor have their own supports to lean on? Can they connect with them if they need to?
Intervention
• If the risk is high or unknown but the visitor is worried, are they willing to call in a welfare check themselves?
• We can also call in a welfare check. Can the visitor share, the name, age, address and phone number of the person of concern?
3RD PARTY SUICIDE Risk Levels
LOW
• Has no specific plan, but has thoughts/ideation about suicide
• Clear motivation for life
• May have or is open to other coping tools and distractions
• Willing and able to access resources
• Willing to safety plan
MEDIUM
• Has thoughts and a plan for suicide, but it is vague or might be for the distant future
• Motivation for life may be losing importance
• May be open to accessing resources, may be ambivalent about their own risk level
• May have other coping tools and distractions but is ambivalent about utilizing tools
• May be willing to safety plan
HIGH
• Is in acute emotional pain at a crisis level/breaking point
• Has a specific plan for their suicide (or multiple options for plans)
• Has access to their method (or a feasible plan to access their method)
• Very little motivation for life
• Is unwilling/unable to access resources
• Lacks other coping tools and distractions and/or does not want to utilize tools
• Is unwilling/reluctant to safety plan
IMMINENT
If the person of concern has already taken steps that could cause serious harm or death
or put part of their suicide plan into action we must send an emergency intervention.
*Please let a Youthspace Staff person know immediately! *
