Commissioner urges action on young people at risk of suicide

The Still Vulnerable report warns that exposure to problems in early childhood such as abuse or neglect, bullying or living in a family where there is domestic violence makes young people more susceptible to having suicidal thoughts in their teenage years.

Commissioner Patricia Lewsley-Mooney said that Northern Ireland continues to experience higher rates of suicide among adolescents and young adults than other parts of the United Kingdom.

She argued that “every professional in children’s social care, health, education and criminal justice services must be trained and supported to identify children who are vulnerable” and “be more responsive in addressing their needs”.

“Too often negative early childhood experiences mean that teenagers are not able to deal with additional pressures as they grow older,” she said.

“Experiences in childhood affect how we learn to cope with life problems, and reduced resilience and ability to cope may mean young people are more vulnerable to risks such as suicide and accidental death.”

Lewsley-Mooney added that services must take a long-term approach to supporting young people, rather than focusing on responding to an immediate crisis or problem.

“Services and support should be provided on an individual basis, from an early stage and delivered in a sustained and co-ordinated manner,” she said.

“Young people may present with what adults can view as 'challenging' behaviour, however this is often a result of negative life experiences and a reduced ability to cope. The research reminds us that services must be designed to engage these most vulnerable young people, in order to support and protect them.”

John Devaney, senior lecturer in social work at Queen’s University Belfast authored the report on behalf of the children's commissioner. “We hope this research highlights the importance of seeing young people’s presenting behaviour in the context of their lifelong experiences,” he said.

“Our findings highlight that too many young people have experienced multiple adversities, and that if professionals are to make a difference, it will require earlier, more sustained and better co-ordinated intervention for those young people.”

Neil Anderson, head of service for the NSPCC in Northern Ireland, said the research clearly identifies the need for targeted, early and sustained intervention to support young people who have experienced trauma in childhood.

“Children and young people who contact our ChildLine service to talk about suicidal feelings can feel that they are not being taken seriously by parents or by health professionals,” he said.

“Where young people are presenting with risky and challenging behaviours, it is vital that we look beyond the behaviour and consider the child beneath. It is only through addressing the root cause that we can begin to assist young people to voice their distress and learn safer ways to deal with painful memories and emotions.”