Publication
Connecting for Life: Ireland’s National Strategy to Reduce Suicide 2015 - 2024
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Connecting for Life, Ireland’s national strategy to reduce suicide has been extended by the government for a further 4 years to 2024. This demonstrates the government’s commitment to addressing suicide and self-harm in our communities.
Since 2015, Connecting for Life has provided a comprehensive plan, based on the best international evidence, for how we can reduce levels of suicide in our country. Achieving the outcomes set out in Connecting for Life remains a complex undertaking. Nevertheless, evidence and experience from around the world shows that measurable improvements in suicide prevention and deliberate self-harm can be made by involving the whole community, the whole of government and all of society working in unison.
The extension of the national strategy to 2024 provides an opportunity to advance many already-established, locally based Connecting for Life implementation structures throughout the country, and to continue to reduce the suicide and self-harm rates in the whole population and among priority groups, including members of the Traveller community, people experiencing homelessness and LGBTQ+ people.
Under the strategy, the National Cross Sectoral Steering and Implementation Group coordinates government departments and agencies to maintain progress in implementation of the Strategy. In addition, the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) oversees and coordinates the completion of actions by individual organisations under the plan. The community and voluntary sector plays a vital role at local and national level in advancing suicide and self-harm prevention, prevention and mental health promotion efforts in Ireland through targeted approaches.
A new implementation plan has been developed for the extended strategy, built on experience of implementation to date. Specifically, this plan is informed by the findings of the 2019 independent Interim Strategy Review and consultation with implementation partners, stakeholders and government departments.
The development of the strategy has been a collaborative and inclusive process, based on contributions to public consultations, including by members of the public, people who have used our services and their families, professional bodies and community interests and organisations. Attracting, engaging and involving all of society in the implementation of the extended Connecting for Life remains crucial to its success.
