A suicide Postvention Community Working Group (PCWG) is formed in response to suicide(s) or other suicidal behaviour by members of its community.

The primary task of a PCWG is to design a cohesive and effective set of coordinated and collaborative community suicide postvention activities and to implement these activities in a safe, culturally appropriate and timely manner.

One of the most important activities of community suicide postvention is to ensure that effective and timely supports and services are available to impacted family, whānau, friends and other community members to help with healing and recovery and to prevent further adverse health outcomes including further suicides.

Who should join a PCWG?

A PCWG is typically comprised of key community stakeholders and leaders. Ideally all sectors of
the community are represented.

• Whānau, hapū, iwi,
• Local non-governmental organizations providing health and social services,
• Huarahi Ora (Te Rau Ora)
• Primary Health Organisations,
• Agencies such as the New Zealand Police, Te Whatu Ora, Ministry of Social Development, Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Education.

What are the main goals of the PCWG?

• A PCWG develops and implements its community’s suicide postvention activities based on the specific needs of its unique community.
• A PCWG will determine and prioritise key postvention activities, establish timelines for accomplishing these, and determine what resources, information and training is needed to accomplish them.

What are the tasks of a PCWG?

• It is best practise for a PCWG to appoint a lead agency and chairperson who will document accurately all actions the working group undertakes so that there is a reliable official record of the
  PCWG’s postvention planning and implementation.
• After a suspected suicide, shock, anxiety, anger, blame, shame and distress are all common and understandable. An initial priority is to achieve the delicate balance between acknowledging that grief in the community is both present and normal, and taking steps to contain the situation and de-escalate any extreme anxiety or distress amongst community members which might lead to additional adverse health impacts known as “suicide exposure effects”.
• The following tasks are examples of how this might be achieved.
  • Gather accurate details about suspected suicide(s) and suicidal behaviour in the community. Accurate sources of this information include the NZ Police, Huarahi Ora, Te Whatu Ora and Tō te Rā. It is useful and legitimate for a PCWG to gather the following details:
    • Name(s), age(s) and gender(s) of the deceased or individuals engaging in suicidal behaviour.
    • Date(s) and location(s) of the death(s) and other suicidal behaviour.
    • Means used to suicide or for other suicidal behaviour.
    • The circumstances surrounding the suspected suicide(s) (e.g., triggering event(s), substance use involvement, suicide note(s), witnesses, any other relevant details).
  • Assign specific suicide postvention roles and responsibilities to PCWG members including (but not limited to):
    • A media spokesperson who will prepare information for the media as required and be the sole individual to whom all media enquiries are directed. It is recommended that the PCWG consider using one of the member organisations’ (e.g. Te Whatu Ora) existing media spokespeople with appropriate expertise and refer all enquiries to that office. The Mental Health Foundation also offer extensive expertise and resourcing in media management and are a great resource for anyone tasked with managing media aspects of the situation. Reporting and portrayal of suicide | Mental Health Foundation
    • A family liaison person whose role it is to ensure bereaved whanau/family (or their nominated support people) are helped with media enquiries, are aware of the community response and can have input (e.g., regarding proposed postvention actions including for example memorials or plans to restrict means such as removal of a tree where the deceased passed).
    • A social media liaison person who coordinates the monitoring of social networking sites for identification of individuals with potential adverse impacts from exposure to the suicide and the promotion of help-seeking and service contact details.
    • A Supported Persons’ Register Coordinator who is responsible for keeping an official record of identified individuals of concern from amongst the impacted community and keeping it secure. This ensures that comprehensive mapping of potentially vulnerable community members is undertaken, appropriate follow-up of these individuals is actioned and noted, and duplication of actions is avoided.

How can Tō te Rā help?

• Tō te Rā is available for consultation with anyone who has concerns about a possible suicide cluster or suicide exposure effects. Where there is high risk of additional suicidal behaviours for a community experiencing a suicide cluster or suicide exposure effects, Tō te Rā staff can visit the impacted community for face-to-face meetings and assist with postvention planning.
• As Tō te Rā works from a community development model, and has a finite involvement with any community, the PCWG is best led and facilitated by an appropriate community leader and stakeholder.