Background Suicide prevention in education and youth settings requires a multi-faceted approach that provides universal, selective and indicated interventions to address the complex and varied needs of young people. Evidence-based interventions are increasingly preferred by schools, but they must be robust and adaptable across countries and settings. The Multimodal Approach to Preventing Suicide in Schools (MAPSS) program was first developed in Australia, and commenced in 2020. Components of the program have been adapted and are concurrently being evaluated for youth and education settings in the UK, India and Iraq.

Objective To share research findings and discuss the barriers and facilitators to implementation of MAPSS within their local contexts and settings.

Programme Description Research suggests that multifaceted approaches to suicide prevention may be most effective in school settings. The aim of MAPSS is to evaluate a suicide prevention program integrating three components: 1) SafeTALK psychoeducation workshops delivered to all year 10 students, 2) screening to identify students at risk, and 3) delivery of online cognitive behavioural therapy (Reframe IT) to students experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Outcomes and Learnings Preliminary results in Australia and the UK indicate that 10–28% of participants experienced some level of suicidal ideation, with 7–15% reporting severe suicidal ideation. Suicide attempts in the sample in the last 12 months (13–16%) and current plans (3–5%) were less common but still prevalent. Despite this, fewer than half of students experiencing suicidal thoughts were currently linked with school wellbeing supports and the suicide risk was even less commonly known (7–9%). The SafeTALK evaluation findings show that students find the program enjoyable (72–79%), worthwhile (88–90%), and not upsetting (95–97%). Updated results incorporating the India and Iraq schools will be presented.

Implications We will present how this programme’s approach has been adapted within each country through coproduction with health professional, schools, parents and young people.

Conclusions This study is a world first that will advance our knowledge by directly testing the impact of an integrated multimodal approach to youth suicide prevention, thus addressing a key gap in the literature, and may provide support for new global approaches to school-based suicide prevention.