This World Suicide Prevention Day, we are reflecting on the importance of compassionate, timely support for anyone affected by suicide.

At Penumbra, we lead Outcome 3 of Scotland’s national suicide prevention strategy, Creating Hope Together (2022-2032), in partnership with Change Mental Health. The aim is simple but vital: to ensure everyone affected by suicide can access high-quality, compassionate and appropriate support that promotes wellbeing and recovery.

This work spans suicide bereavement support, crisis support, peer-led initiatives, support for children and young people, community-led action research, and the development of compassionate responses through the Time Space Compassion approach.

Since August 2021, Penumbra has delivered the Suicide Bereavement Support Service (SBSS) in Ayrshire and Arran, with Change Mental Health delivering support in Highland and Argyll and Bute.

For Max Fairlie, Support Practitioner with our SBSS, the work is deeply personal.

“I lost my father to suicide in the summer of 2018 and at the time, there was, to my knowledge, no service solely dedicated to supporting those bereaved by suicide. Whilst other interventions are undoubtedly helpful in this circumstance, the creation of a service like the Suicide Bereavement Support Service was, in my opinion, necessary progress in supporting those affected.

“Working within this service since its launch has truly been a special experience. It is a privilege to be alongside people on a similar journey to what I experienced several years ago, and the trust that our supported people place in myself and my colleagues in sharing this with us is never lost on us.”

Max explains that the service provides emotional and practical support to anyone impacted by suicide and contacts every referral within 24 hours, with support often beginning immediately.

“Support is tailored as much as possible to the needs of the individual. It is open-ended, meaning there is no time limit or set amount of appointments individuals will have. This is very important due to how different the journey is for each person, and how much this journey fluctuates throughout.

“People often find great benefit in being able to speak to someone outside their friendship and family circles. Speaking with a professional in SBSS offers a space to talk about their experiences as freely as they are comfortable with.”  

At a national level, Barrie Hunter, Programme Manager for Suicide Prevention, Crisis and Distress Support, sees this work as part of a much wider effort to create safer, more compassionate communities across Scotland.

“Outcome 3 sits at the heart of the strategy’s vision, with its focus on engaging with communities of all kinds and working in partnership across statutory, voluntary and other sectors.”

Since the strategy began in 2022, Penumbra has worked closely with COSLA, the Scottish Government, Health and Social Care Partnerships, Change Mental Health and Scottish Recovery Network. Together, they have focused on strengthening support for children and young people, expanding peer support, improving access to suicide bereavement support, engaging with diverse communities, and embedding Time Space Compassion approaches across services.

Barrie believes Penumbra’s experience of delivering recovery-focused mental health crisis support has been central to this work.

“As a lead partner in Outcome 3, Penumbra’s knowledge and experience in providing mental health crisis support with a recovery approach has been a consistent presence in demonstrating effective Time Space Compassion in practice. The invaluable work of our Crisis and Distress Support services and the evidenced success of the Ayrshire and Arran Suicide Bereavement Support Service is testament to this.”

For Max, the impact of suicide bereavement is often far wider and longer lasting than people realise.

“People often underestimate the wide reach of each death by suicide. Research conducted in 2018 determined that, on average, 135 people will know each person who dies by suicide. Whilst not all of these people will be close acquaintances, it illustrates how widely the impact can be felt.

“People also often underestimate how long-lasting and unique the experience of this kind of grief can be. It has been likened to ‘a social bomb going off’ and ‘not knowing how far the ripples may spread’.”

This year’s World Suicide Prevention Day theme in Scotland, Start the Conversation, resonates strongly with both Scotland’s suicide prevention strategy and the day-to-day experiences of people affected by suicide.

“I think these kinds of conversations are so important because there is undoubtedly still a level of stigma around suicide in society,” says Max. “If conversations around suicide and suicide bereavement can become more visible and commonplace, hopefully the general public can be more understanding of the experience of those affected.”

Barrie points to Penumbra’s work supporting Community Led Action Research through the Scottish Community Development Centre as a powerful example of how open conversations can help communities better understand and respond to suicidality.

“We continue to actively work with groups from across Scotland and a range of varying backgrounds to facilitate a better understanding of the issues of suicidality and how best to tackle these within their own communities. This and the other Outcome 3 actions are a clear example of how we can, by working in partnership, Create Hope Together.”

As we mark World Suicide Prevention Day, Max’s message is a simple one:

“It would have to be simply echoing this year’s theme of ‘Start the Conversation’. While, thankfully, strides have been made in terms of pushing back against the stigma of suicide and suicide bereavement, there is still a lot of work to be done. Starting the conversation is one of the best ways to do this.”