Dr Maria Michail reflects on taking youth suicide prevention recommendations to politicians, and what comes next.
Preet Gill MP with colleagues from the Institute for Mental Health
When we began the ATTUNE study, we wanted to understand something simple: where do young people go for help with self-harm or suicidal thoughts, and why? We found that many young people, especially those from marginalised groups, face barriers to getting help from statutory services. As a result, many turn instead to voluntary and community organisations, where support may feel more accessible, trusted and responsive to their needs.
Working with young people, NHS and local authority professionals and voluntary organisations, we turned what we heard into 29 policy recommendations across five priority areas. These include putting young people’s lived experience at the heart of how services are designed and helping voluntary and statutory services work together more effectively.
The recommendations recognise the complementary roles different services play. Voluntary organisations can offer trusted, flexible and accessible support, while statutory services bring clinical expertise and wider responsibilities. Young people should not have to navigate the boundaries between these systems or repeat their story whenever they reach a new service. Better collaboration, clearer referral routes and more effective and timely information-sharing can make support feel joined-up rather than fragmented.
This matters particularly for young people whose experiences and identities are too often overlooked. Listening to lived experience is not an optional extra: it helps services understand why support may feel inaccessible, what builds trust and where change is most urgent. It also means involving young people throughout implementation, not only asking for their views once decisions have already been made.
But recommendations only matter if they reach the people who can act on them. Over the past few months, we have been taking ATTUNE's recommendations directly to policymakers.
In September 2026, we held a panel event at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference, chaired by Anna Sabine MP. In October, we hosted a parliamentary drop-in session.
One message consistently resonates throughout these discussions: prevention cannot begin at the point of crisis. By the time many young people come to the attention of mental health services, opportunities for earlier intervention have often been missed. Effective suicide prevention requires sustained investment in community support, stronger connections between services and systems that young people can navigate easily and confidently.
Youth suicide is preventable, but the current system needs to be improved so that we can fully support young people experiencing mental health challenges
In October 2026, we took these recommendations to Westminster. Among the 18 parliamentarians we met was Liz Twist MP, Chair of the APPG on Suicide and Self-Harm. The group also included MPs, and members of the House of Lords.
The level of interest is welcome, but attendance is only a starting point. The test is whether these conversations lead to commissioning that is responsive to local needs, stronger local partnerships and support that young people can access earlier. We want the evidence gathered through ATTUNE to help parliamentarians, policymakers and practitioners ask sharper questions about how services connect and whose voices shape them.
ATTUNE has provided a roadmap for action. We will continue sharing the recommendations with parliamentarians and organisations responsible for designing, commissioning and delivering support for young people.
If you work in a local authority, health service, school or voluntary organisation and want to put these recommendations into practice, you can read the full policy booklet.
If you’ve been affected by anything in this article, Samaritans are available on 116 123.
Associate Professor
Dr Michail is a leading expert in the field of self-harm and suicide prevention.
