Suicide prevention guidelines for young people in youth justice detention settings in Australia: an expert consensus study

Background Given the high risk of suicide for young people in youth justice detention, youth justice staff members will almost certainly have contact with young people who experience suicidal thoughts and behaviours. However, very little is known about how staff can best support these young people. Objective The aim of the current study was to develop best practice guidelines for preventing suicide and reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviours in young people within youth justice detention settings in Australia. Participants and setting A Delphi expert consensus study was conducted with a panel of youth justice professionals (n = 25) and people with lived experience (n = 20) from Australia. Methods The panel rated items across three rounds of questionnaires. All items endorsed by at least 90% of the panel were collated into a final set of guidelines. Results Consensus was reached on 237 of the 313 items rated by panellists (76%). These span across suicide prevention domains including universal strategies, identifying and assessing a young person, and providing support to a young person at risk of suicide. Conclusion These guidelines are the first of their kind in Australia which involved both professional and lived experience experts. It addresses the current evidence gap and provide youth justice Departments, facilities and their staff with the most up-to-date evidence on how to best support young people in their care experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours.