Background. Incarcerated young people present with significant and complex mental health and social problems, both contributing to their elevated risk of suicide and suicide-related behaviours (1,2). Being within a youth justice environment is itself a stressful life event and may further increase the risk for suicide-related behaviours (3,4). Youth justice detention is a unique setting in which youth justice staff are responsible for the care, support and supervision of incarcerated young people, who do not have access to suicide prevention measures such as telephone-, school-, or family-based support (5). Staff play a critical role in the identification of suicide-related behaviours. Despite elevated risks, the unique setting and ongoing concerns about current responses, there is a lack of evidence on suicide prevention in youth justice detention settings (6).
Aim. The current study addressed this gap by conducting an expert consensus study to establish evidence-based suicide prevention guidelines for youth justice detention staff.
Method. The Delphi method is a systematic way of determining expert consensus that has previously been used to develop best-practice guidelines and interventions for various mental health problems (7). Consensus among expert panel members is established through three rounds of surveys. Endorsement ratings will be calculated for each item by adding the percentage of panellists rating the item as ‘important’ or ‘essential’. Items that are rated as ‘essential’ or ‘important’ by 80% or more of panellists will be considered as endorsed. Items that are rated as ‘essential’ or ‘important’ by less than 80% but more than 70% of panellists will be re-rated in the subsequent survey round. Two expert panels have been included: youth justice staff members with at least 1 year of experience (including unit staff and forensic mental health staff) and people with lived experience.
Results. Preliminary findings of the Delphi-study will be presented. Results from the round 1 survey are currently being analysed. It is expected that survey results from round 2 and 3 will be analysed by March 2024. Items endorsed by both panels will be incorporated into guidelines describing appropriate actions and responses for youth justice detention staff.
Discussion. The findings will contribute to an evidence base informing and improving future policies related to suicide prevention in youth justice detention. Furthermore, the guidelines will form the basis for the development of a staff training workshop, which will be developed and piloted in 2024.