Support for those Bereaved by Suicide

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:38 pm on 5 November 2019.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 1:38, 5 November 2019

A fortnight ago, as Chair of the cross-party group on funerals and bereavement, I met Rhian Mannings, who is the founder and chief executive of the all-Wales charity 2 Wish Upon a Star, to discuss their work providing essential bereavement support for families who have suddenly and traumatically lost a child or young adult aged 25 years and under, which may be from suicide, or may be through accident or illness. As she said, sudden death is the forgotten death in Wales. And although they've become a statutory service, effectively, in Wales, working with every health board, every police force, they're receiving no statutory support whatsoever, having to raise every penny themselves. She said they're reducing pressure on mental health teams, helping tackle that unforeseeable trauma of unpredictable death and loss. How, therefore, do you respond to their statement that their services therefore need to be widely known, with a multi-agency approach undertaken, to ensure that this support can be delivered Wales wide and that the severe long-term consequences for the survivors can be reduced?