ISCA Suicide Awareness & Prevention Toolkit (SAPT)
ISCA Suicide Awareness & Prevention Toolkit (SAPT): A Best Practice–Informed Resource for International Schools (Preliminary Document)
The Suicide Awareness & Prevention Toolkit (SAPT) is a practical, best practiced-informed working document designed to help international schools strengthen suicide awareness and prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts.
What is the ISCA Suicide Awareness & Prevention Toolkit (SAPT)?
This resource is adapted for the cultural realities of international school communities, and offers step-by-step guidance, templates, and protocols that schools can customize to their local context. This toolkit was curated by the ISCA team of experts, including internationally recognized expert on school safety, youth suicide, self-injury, bullying, school crisis prevention, Dr. Scott Poland. The toolkit is grounded in best-practice frameworks from AFSP, NASP, ASCA, The Trevor Project, and SAMHSA. It is designed to strengthen collaboration among school personnel, families, and community partners to support student safety and wellbeing.
This free resource is downloadable. Request your copy now!
Toolkit Features
- Divided into three main sections:
- Section I: Awareness & Prevention – including mental health awareness and early identification.
- Section II: Intervention – supporting at-risk students through best-practice procedures.
- Section III: Postvention – guiding compassionate and coordinated response after a suicide.
- Includes sample forms, templates, and action steps for each phase:
- Provides clear protocols for risk response, parent/guardian notification, documentation, and referral to community-based services.
- Designed as a step-by-step guide that schools can easily adapt and implement.
- Uses the term School Mental Health Professional (SMHP) to refer to the staff responsible for mental health support (e.g., school counselors, psychologists, or social workers).
| Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Awareness & Prevention
SAPT Tools #1–3
|
Intervention
SAPT Tools #4–13
|
Postvention
SAPT Tools #14–22
|
For additional learning please review the following courses at ISCA Academy:
- ISCA-Certificate Specialization: Mental Health
- Self-Injury: Identifying and Responding to Adolescents in Schools
- Trauma-Informed Care: Essential Practices for International Schools
- Advancing Trauma-Informed Care in Schools
- Supporting Anxious Youth in Schools
- Supporting Student Mental Health in International Schools
- Creating Effective Mental Health Policies for Schools – Coming Soon
- Responding to and Recovering from a Death in the School Community – Coming soon
- Youth Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention for Schools – Coming Soon
- Advanced Strategies for Supporting Student Mental Health in International Schools