Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force

The Snohomish County Children's Wellness Coalition is calling on experts and passionate members of the community to join our task force on suicide prevention.

The Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force (YSPTF) is a working group with the goal of reducing youth suicide, ideation, planning and attempts across Snohomish County.

We do this by:

Supporting & strengthening youth suicide prevention, intervention and postvention efforts across the region

Coordinating with the Department of Health, Forefront Suicide Prevention at the University of Washington, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Riverside Trauma Center & other recognized suicide prevention organizations

Enhancing coordination and providing targeted supports to youth & family serving sectors to maximize prevention efforts outside of the school day

Identifying gaps to leverage resources and globally recognized best practices

Additionally, we provide technical assistance and training to build capacity for promoting protective factors and reducing risk factors that influence suicide through:

-Trainings that develop adult comfort, competence and confidence in responding to distress

-Forums that promote youth voice and perspectives of those with lived experience in the mental health system

-Identifying critical policy gaps to engage with model policy developers like the Washington State School Directors Association, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington State Health Care Authority and other agencies