Learning Objective
Understand how targeting support and training of social workers involved in child protection services efficiently increases knowledge and skills to reduce suicide in a recognised vulnerable population.
Background
Te Aho is a nationwide organisation of mental health practitioners who work alongside groups/ communities for suicide prevention and postvention. Te Aho’s Te Oranga Tonutanga - Towards Wellbeing service provides a wraparound programme of consultation, clinical advice and training for social workers of Aotearoa NZ’s national child protection services including identifying, assessing and responding to risk, and developing individualised safety plans for young people in state care. TWB has been a continued initiative for the last 20 years.
Methods
A post programme survey was completed by 345 social workers who utilised the program between October 2021 and September 2025.
A pre and post survey was completed by 537 training participants during December 2019 and September 2025 measuring knowledge, confidence and skills in identifying, asking about and responding to suicidal behaviour in young people.
Results
Over the period October 2021 to 345 social workers reported that this program has been useful in supporting them to respond to suicidal behaviour of young people in state care e.g. Timeliness of response (95.02%); Input from clinical advisors to develop safety plans (92.56%); Usefulness of safety plan (89.41%); Likelihood of referring other young people to the programme (95.91%), and social workers reported improved/much improved confidence in working with suicidal young people (80.94%).
Trainings delivered to social workers during 2019-2024 demonstrated a positive change in the before and after evaluations of their knowledge, skills and confidence in identifying suicidal behaviour (e.g., skills increased from 27.05% to 85.18%), asking about suicidal behaviour (e.g., skills increased from 29.96% to 76.48%), and responding to suicidal behaviour (e.g., confidence increased from 22.06% to 76.59%) after the training.
Discussion
Almost 50% of the youth suicides between 2006-2016 in Aotearoa New Zealand had contact with the state care system. The Te Oranga Tonutanga service is an example of an effective wraparound intervention to increase the knowledge and skills of professionals who are working with young people in care who are demonstrated to be a highly vulnerable population. Training outcomes including the social worker’s voices, and the unique nature of the programme will be shared.