Leveraging External Resources: Support is Available
Conducting universal suicide risk screening is a significant undertaking. If our readiness assessment indicated "Low" or "Moderate" readiness, outside support is available to help you prepare your staff and infrastructure - see below. If your results indicated “High” readiness, you are ready to follow the step-by-step guide detailed in our toolkit (minor adjustments or improvements may be in needed in specific areas).
Professional Training & Consultation
You don't have to build these protocols from scratch. Expert mental health professionals from the SAFER team can provide:
Staff Preparation: Training for school counselors, teachers, and administrators on the Universal Screening process.
Skill Building: Tools to help educators who are often the first to notice behavioral changes- recognize the signs of suicidality and take appropriate action.
Expert Guidance: Access to trained mental health professionals who can provide risk assessment screenings directly, relieving educators of responsibilities that may fall outside their professional scope.
Recommended Training Programs
Focus on empowering your "front line" staff with recognized suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention training.
If your school is located in Oregon, you may be eligible for specific state-level support through the Big River Programs. These initiatives offer funding opportunities specifically for schools committed to training staff in suicide prevention and intervention.