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This information helps when you hear about a student’s sudden death.
Exposure to a student death is a traumatic experience. Anyone immediately affected should not be left alone, until parents or carers can support them.
If it happens at school: make it safe
If a student death takes place at school, make sure everyone is safe.
Follow emergency medical care practices. For example, avoid contact with blood or other body fluids – use protective gloves.
Call emergency services on 000 for medical advice, ambulance or police.
Alert your school’s emergency response team.
Report incident to your sector office.
Look after witnesses
Identify everyone who was present.
Move witnesses to a safe location. Make sure staff eg student wellbeing leaders (Government schools) or school counsellors (Catholic and Independent Schools) are there to support and supervise.
Keep witnesses there until police have taken statements or advised other actions. Witnesses should be discouraged from discussing the situation until a statement has been taken. Give people time to cope with what just happened.
Protect the location
Isolate the location from unauthorised student or staff access. For example:
- use screens
- block corridors
- block windows.
Do everything possible to protect others from viewing the site without disturbing the area. The police will need to assess it.
Do not remove or disturb items from the location until police are finished. Wait until they let you know it is no longer a secured area.
If it happens off-site: verify any information
Verify reports of sudden death
Reporting made by people other than direct family members should be verified. Confirm facts with the appropriate contact.
- Government schools should contact SWISS or the Incident Management Unit.
- Catholic schools should contact the family or police.
- Independent schools should contact the family or police.
Do not ignore rumours, messages or emails about possible suicide. Follow up straight away.
If you hear a student at another school has died, contact the relevant sector office to seek advice.
If a student is missing and you are concerned about them
If a student that has expressed thoughts of suicide is missing, contact the parents or carers immediately.
If the parents or carers do not know where the student is:
- call the police
- ask for the Missing Persons Unit.
If the student is found safe
If the student is found safe, contact their parents or carers and share your concerns. Always think about the student’s safety and privacy.
Organise immediate support. For example:
- a student wellbeing leader (Government School)
- a school counsellor (Independent and Catholic Schools)
- an Aboriginal support person.
Government schools are encouraged to contact SWISS for mental health advice and support.
Catholic and Independent schools can contact Be You – headspace for advice.
Talking to the family
Contact the family of the student who has died. Offer condolences from your school. Talk about any cultural or religious aspects.
Let the student’s family know you need to tell your school community about their child’s death. Talk about how you will do this. Listen to what they have to say.
Advise the family that the term ‘suicide’ will not be used when talking about the death. It will be referred to as a sudden death.
Let them know you are using these guidelines.
If appropriate at this time talk about:
- How the family want the school to refer to their child.
- The damaging impact of misinformation.
- Keeping a check on social media.
- Notifying schools attended by any known siblings, cousins or close family and community members.
- How best to support a child or young person’s grief.