Contents

Resources

Setting Goals and Monitoring Progress

Communities are advised to monitor the effects of their local prevention program efforts by setting clear and realistic goals, identifying indicators of progress, and carefully monitoring processes (e.g. referral rates, level of youth participation) and outcomes (suicide attempts and deaths). Quantitative measures (e.g. percent of trained gatekeepers who correctly identify the level of suicide risk in a simulated interview) and qualitative measures (e.g. young people’s description of their experience receiving professional mental health services) are both important to monitor.

Multiple dimensions of a local youth suicide prevention program can be tracked and monitored over time including: individual client level (e.g. changes in suicide risk level over time), individual program level (e.g. number of referrals, satisfaction with services) and community or local service delivery network level (e.g. local knowledge about resources, media reports, and citizen participation).

A number of excellent materials including, toolkits, practical advice and educational resources for evaluating community based suicide prevention programs are located at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.