Collective responsibility, collective action to prevent student suicide

This guidance for the higher education sector aims to reduce risk and restrict access to means of student suicide. This very practical guidance, based on current evidence from research, serious incident reviews and inquest data, is designed to help providers think through key issues when addressing risk factors and reducing / restricting access to potential means and methods of suicide in a higher education context.

The development of this guidance has been supported by a large stakeholder reference group with multiple author contributors from the higher education sector, including researchers and practitioners, bereaved family members and student peers as well as many relevant national stakeholder groups. The guidance was funded by Unite Students with Symplicity.

This guidance is intended to sit within the existing portfolio of higher education guidance around suicide prevention and postvention. In 2018, Universities UK and PAPYRUS jointly published Suicide-safer universities guidance, which covered prevention of suicide and compassionate responses to suicide in universities. In December 2022, Universities UK, PAPYRUS and Samaritans jointly published sector-led guidance on How to respond to a student suicide.

The updated version of the document, published on 8 January 2025, features:

• A searchable checklist and action planning tool, designed to help different teams within your organisation to assess which parts of the guidance are most relevant to them, and to help them identify and follow up on actions.
• Changes to the original guidance document on page 68.

To access the guidance and resources, we'll ask you for basic information to help us monitor awareness and to facilitate effective dissemination. Please provide your information to receive the guidance and resources by email. Your details won't be used for marketing purposes and won't be shared with any other organisations.