Sean Joe, the Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development at the WashU Brown School, helped develop the first national standards of care for suicide prevention specifically for the social work profession.
Joe, a nationally recognized authority on suicidal behavior among Black Americans, served on a task force convened by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The association adopted the “Standards of Care for Suicide Prevention” in June.
The standards establish baseline expectations for suicide prevention knowledge and skills across social work specialties and practice settings. They call for suicide prevention training in bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in social work and provide a common framework for identifying risk, responding to crises and supporting individuals and communities affected by suicide. They also address intervention and “postvention,” which includes support following a suicide or suicide-related crisis.
Read more on the Brown School website.
