This research will endeavour to identify the level of professionalisation associated with the services, both emerging and established, available to support those bereaved through suicide and those which offer suicide prevention and intervention support. It will aim to achieve this through profiling the services available to the Leitrim/Cavan population by means of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis: focusing on the type of service offered as well as the qualifications and occupational roles assigned to those involved. I have grounded my research in these two counties as, according to statistics from the National Suicide Research Foundation, suicide rates between 2004 and 2010 left Leitrim second highest in Ireland with a rate of 17.1% and Cavan third with a rate of 16.7%. I will include in my research: services offered at both local and national level; on-line support services and forums; and school-based assistance and support. Through analysing the data collected I would hope to highlight the ever-increasing number of services available in relation to suicide prevention and bereavement support whilst also profiling the level and type of professionalisation within these services. The project will assess if and how such services should be regulated, and profile new professionalising pathways, if any, of those involved.
