Priority 3: Impact
Raising our voice to make suicide prevention a priority.
We committed £5.7m this year to drive progress in this priority area.
30 years of influencing media portrayal
The way suicide is reported and portrayed in the media can influence help-seeking and, in some cases, save lives. That’s why our work with the media – including this year with EastEnders on Phil Mitchell’s mental health storyline – is so important.
Advising on storylines is just one of the ways we’ve supported journalists, broadcasters, and regulators to encourage safe, sensitive coverage for the past 30 years. This year we delivered nearly 40 guidance sessions to communicators and regulators, and trained future journalists at 11 journalism schools. We also worked with coroners to reduce harmful reporting, shaped the BBC’s editorial guidelines, and shared our expertise through academic publications and global forums.
Leading the conversation on safe media reporting in Ireland
In September, Samaritans Ireland co hosted a high-profile international conference with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Ireland’s National Office for Suicide Prevention on safe and sensitive media reporting of suicide and self-harm.
Speakers included Khalid Saeed from WHO, Minister Mary Butler and Sarah Johnston of the Guardian. The event showcased our Media Advisory Service, reinforced Samaritans Ireland’s role as a leading authority on this issue and highlighted responsible reporting as a key suicide prevention issue.
By bringing together media, policymakers and public health leaders, we helped build momentum for more consistent and careful reporting practices. This supports our wider goal of reducing harm and encouraging help seeking through the media.
A united voice for mental health in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland faces deep-rooted mental health challenges shaped by its history and social inequalities. No single organisation can address the issues alone. This is why Samaritans has led the creation of an alliance to combine the expertise, resources and influence of organisations for greater change.
The Mental Health Policy Alliance was officially launched in September 2024 with the support of Health Minister Mike Nesbitt MLA and Mental Health Champion Siobhán O’Neill. Ten organisations are currently involved, co-chaired by Samaritans and the Mental Health Foundation.
The Alliance will be a powerful collective voice and positions us to reduce stigma, improve services and ensure mental health stays high on the policy agenda. With continued support, we can keep making the case for lasting improvements in mental health and suicide prevention across Northern Ireland.
Influencing policy in Wales
People across Wales continue to face serious challenges with mental health and suicide, made worse by long waiting times, stigma and inconsistent access to support. Samaritans is working to ensure that national policy responds to these realities and drives lasting change.
This year, we contributed to the Welsh Government’s new strategies on self-harm, suicide prevention and mental health, and worked closely with the NHS Executive and regional leads to support local delivery.
We also published Waiting for Change, a report exploring mental health and suicide risk along the parenthood journey in Wales. Grounded in lived experience, the report helped shape policy conversations around mental health and parenthood, and highlighted the need for more compassionate and inclusive support for parents.
Influencing policy in Scotland
This year, as a partner in Scotland’s national suicide prevention strategy, we led activity across three key areas to help create environments that protect against suicide risk.
We engaged Scottish Government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to embed suicide prevention in wider policy areas and commissioned new research on social and economic risk factors.
We supported local suicide prevention leads by hosting workshops on Locations of Concern. These sessions helped to re energise work to make high-risk locations safer. We also delivered media guidelines training to councillors and other local leaders. Feedback showed the sessions challenged perceptions and increased confidence in how to talk about suicide safely.
Through this work, we are helping to influence national policy, strengthen local delivery and create safer communities across Scotland.