North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

North Carolina’s youth suicide prevention program will focus on the needs of the following special populations: children of military families, youth within the juvenile justice system and the LGBTQ.

Provision of a comprehensive array of suicide prevention programs will address suicidal behavior, risk and protective factors of youth from military families. Programs shall include two levels of adult gatekeeper training, suicide prevention curriculum for students, parent education and postvention education.

Staffs who serve incarcerated youth in detention and youth development centers will receive postvention education and the needs of the LGBTQ youth population will be further explored through a collaborative partnership with the Rape Prevention Education (RPE) Program and focus groups with youth who identify themselves as LGBTQ.

The state’s Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services’ Centers for Prevention Resources (CPRs) that provide screening, assessment and referral services to youth at risk for suicide, mental health disorders and substance abuse will also receive suicide prevention/intervention training in order to increase their skill level to detect and refer any young person in North Carolina who is considered at-risk of suicide.

The state’s former Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force will be modified into an Advisory Council in partnership with state’s Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services. The Advisory Council will include youth serving providers and stakeholders including high school and college student representatives and youth members from the special populations identified: military families, juvenile justice and LGBTQ.