OUR MISSION
Forefront Suicide Prevention is a Center of Excellence at the University of Washington. Our mission is to help people take action to prevent suicide in their communities.
OUR VISION
To foster a world that openly addresses suicide and mental health with compassion, and where every individual acts on their capacity to prevent suicide
Rare is the individual who has no exposure to suicide. As research and dialogue grow around this little understood cause of death, grassroots advocacy becomes more important in the campaign for resources and solutions.
At Forefront Suicide Prevention, we know that most suicides are preventable and that the time to act is now. A Center of Excellence at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, Forefront Suicide Prevention is focused on ending suicide by championing suicide prevention, leading systemic change, and advocating for the many family and community members affected.
Forefront Suicide Prevention’s Current Initiatives
School Based Programs
Our school-based programs are grounded in the work of Forefront in the Schools, a comprehensive, multi-year suicide prevention program that provides schools with a framework and tools to address youth suicide and suicidal behavior through an integrative approach. Over 60 schools have joined the program since its inception in 2015. In addition, we work with partners such as the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Behavioral Health Navigators in Washington’s Educational Service Districts to scale our expertise and learnings by developing trainings and materials for comprehensive suicide prevention, based on the programming we have developed through Forefront in the Schools.
Safer Homes, Suicide Aware is a public health campaign focused on “lethal means safety” as a way to help reduce both suicides and self-harm through safe storage practices. The Safer Homes team distributes lockboxes for medications and firearms, educates participants in suicide risk, and encourages secure, proactive storage for both firearms and medications. The main outreach efforts of the program are:
· SAFER (Suicide Awareness for Firearm owners & Education Resources) – in-person lockbox giveaways
· TeleSAFER – remote lockbox distribution
· Targeted Interventions – a cultural competency training for medical and mental health providers
· Firearms industry training & outreach to promote suicide awareness and increase temporary, out-of-home emergency firearms storage
· Quarterly, public, free firearms safety webinars with an emphasis on suicide prevention
Partnership with the WDVA (Washington Department of Veterans Affairs) in leading the state legislature’s Suicide – Safer Homes Task Force
Training & Technical Assistance
Equipping professionals, families, colleagues, and community members with suicide prevention training helps to connect suicidal individuals with the support they need. Forefront’s Training & Technical Assistance program develops and delivers our flagship Forefront Suicide Prevention LEARN® training and other trainings related to suicide prevention (including grief after suicide and firearms organizations) to organizations and individuals across Washington. We work with clients to develop customized trainings for specific audiences, in particular for demographic groups that are at increased risk of suicide due to their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, profession or industry.