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38.14. Medical practitioners have access to professional support and relevant training on professional and ethical standards of treatment, and ready access to debriefing and counselling services.

38. Medical StaffE. Health Services😷 COVID

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39.01. There are effective procedures for identifying personal factors that may put individual detainees at risk of suicide or self-harm, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups such as women, children, LGBTI people, trafficked persons and survivors of torture or trauma.

39. Suicide and Self-HarmE. Health Services😷 COVID

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39.02. There are effective procedures for identifying, anticipating, preparing for and monitoring conditions or high-risk events that may provide triggers for suicide or self-harm.

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39.03. There are effective multi-disciplinary procedures for managing the risks of suicide or self-harm, including individual care and support plans.

39. Suicide and Self-HarmE. Health Services

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39.04. Care and support plans include follow up both in the place of detention and post-release, and include consultation and engagement with family members.

39. Suicide and Self-HarmE. Health Services

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39.05. There is a multi-disciplinary team that monitors the suicide prevention policy and procedures and records all incidents of suicide and self-harm.

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39.06. Membership of the multi-disciplinary team that monitors the suicide prevention policy and procedures includes detainees and staff.

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39.07. All staff are fully trained in suicide prevention and have access to adequate equipment for resuscitation and protection.

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39.08. Staffing levels are sufficient to respond to incidents of suicide and self harm at all times of the day and night.

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39.09. Separation or isolation, in any form, are not used as a method for managing risk of suicide or self-harm.

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39.10. There are informal detainee support schemes that draw on peer support and the support of local communities, particularly those who share linguistic, cultural and/or religious heritage.

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39.11. Detainees have access to medical services as required, and accessing counselling support is actively encouraged, especially for at-risk detainees.

39. Suicide and Self-HarmE. Health Services

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39.12. Detainees are able and encouraged to engage in purposeful activity on a daily basis.

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39.13. All incidents of self-harm are monitored and documented, and preventive measures and other responses regularly reviewed to enable continuous learning and the promotion of good practice.

39. Suicide and Self-HarmE. Health Services

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39.14. The use of chemical forms of restraint, such as sedatives or psychotropic medication as behavioural management strategies are strictly medically supervised and subject to regular and independent review and monitoring.

39. Suicide and Self-HarmE. Health Services

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39.15. There is a policy, as far as possible, of actively eliminating from the immigration detention framework and environment aspects of detention likely to trigger incidents of suicide and self-harm.

39. Suicide and Self-HarmE. Health Services

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39.16. As with any other death in custody, in the event of suicide in a place of immigration detention, there is an inquiry of a judicial character into the circumstances of the death.

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40.01. The suicide prevention policy addresses the issue of hunger strikes, which are a form of protest, separately.

40. Hunger StrikesE. Health Services

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40.02. Food refusal is always taken seriously by staff and a care and support plan initiated.

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40.03. A meals register is used to record meal attendance and staff note carefully and unobtrusively non-attendance or other fasting.

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