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24th January 2023: NSPA Annual Conference
The new suicide prevention plan: reaching further and deeper into communities
This conference took place on 24th January 2023. Tickets for next year’s conference will be on sale from October 2023.
The NSPA’s ninth annual conference brought together people with an interest in suicide prevention across the private, public and voluntary sector to network, learn and share.
Suicide prevention is everybody’s business. Yet all too often, people in marginalised and economically disadvantaged groups find it harder to access relevant support, and experience higher rates of suicide. Never has this been more important than during a national cost of living crisis and with the NHS under increasing stress.
In the context of a new national plan, we asked what more we can do to reverse this trend over the next decade and how we can learn from the lived experience of people in these communities and put this into practice.
Working and learning together saves lives
The NSPA suicide prevention conference was back in person, offering people working to prevent suicide a chance to connect with each other. Bringing together around 300 individuals and organisations with a professional and personal interest in suicide prevention, they shared the latest knowledge and information, discussed opportunities for collaboration, engaged with people who have lived experience, and heard first hand what the government is going to do on this issue.
Diverse topics, interactive workshops
Keynote speakers included Professor Sir Louis Appleby, Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory group and a Director from DHSC. A mixture of informative plenaries and interactive workshops explored what the future of suicide prevention needs to look like for people in diverse communities and contexts; people from Traveller or LGBTQ+ communities; people who experience domestic abuse; and in different contexts across primary care, or the criminal justice system.
You can watch the video here:
Agenda & Speakers
Plenary speakers included:
Professor Louis Appleby, Chair, National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group : View the presentation slides, watch the presentation
Professor Ann John, Professor in Public Health & Psychiatry at Swansea University Medical School
View the presentation slides, watch the presentation:
Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, Associate National Clinical Director for Children & Young People’s Mental Health, NHS England
Sarah Dangar, CEO, Ahimsa & VAWG Consultant: View the presentation slides, watch the presentation:
Sue Willgoss, NSPA Lived Experience Influencer: View the presentation slides, watch the presentation:
Jody Foster, Mark Foster & Nicola Jones, founders of Ellie’s Angels: View the presentation slides, watch the presentation:
Morning workshops:
How to involve people with lived experience to shape policies around health inequality: View the presentation slides
Suicide inequalities in the Gypsy & Traveller communities: View the presentation slides
Domestic abuse and suicide – what can we learn from the voices of victims of domestic abuse who have tried to take their own lives? View the presentation slides
Supporting LGBTQ+ young people with suicidal thoughts; Grassroots Suicide Prevention and Allsorts Youth Project. View the presentation slides
Suicide Prevention and mental health within the South Asian population
Afternoon workshops:
Internet safety, suicide and self-harm: How can we support people to have safe and positive experiences online? View the presentation slides
The benefits of a GP Mental Health Fellowship scheme to the suicide prevention agenda: View the presentation slides
Innovative practices for suicide prevention at high-risk locations. (this was a discussion)
Hidden & High-Risk: Reflections on the need for prioritisation of suicide prevention activities with individuals under probation supervision. View the presentation slides
Research into suicide postvention services in LGBTQ+ community. View the presentation slides
Each year NSPA Members take advantage of a discount code on up to 2 tickets at conference. This discount is designed to help individuals or smaller charities attend. If you are not a member of NSPA, it’s free to join, click here.