After a Child’s Death by Suicide

If a child in DFPS conservatorship dies by suicide, the FAD program director, FAD supervisor, or other staff members designated by the regional director must do the following:

• Contact the regional CPS mental health specialist (see the CPS Mental Health webpage [sic, intranet link]External Link on the DFPS intranet) and regional CPS trauma-informed care specialist (see the CPS Trauma-Informed Care webpage [sic, intranet link]External Link on the DFPS intranet) for mental health resources and community resources for the FAD caseworker, FAD parents, and children in the home who have a difficult time coping. These resources may include the following:
  • Opportunities to debrief to process thoughts and feelings related to the suicide death.
  • Referrals to grief counseling and survivor support groups, to the extent possible.
• Review protocols in the DFPS Child Fatality Protocol HandbookPDF Document and make sure FAD staff cooperates with any related investigation.
• Contact the FAD parents and FAD caseworker within 24 hours after learning of the child’s death and schedule a meeting that will occur within seven business days. This meeting with the FAD family must occur in the FAD home. This meeting should do the following:
  • Not glamorize the child or death, even unintentionally.
  • Occur in a setting that allows the FAD program director, FAD supervisor, other designated staff members, or a combination of these people to monitor responses of people in the home.
  • Strive to treat all deaths in the same way.
  • Emphasize the importance of seeking help for anyone with a mental health diagnosis.
  • Emphasize the importance of recognizing the warning signs of suicide.
  • Decrease the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health concerns.
  • Review lessons learned from the child’s death by suicide in a manner that does not blame anyone.
• Make sure that the FAD caseworker reports and documents the child’s death as a serious incident, as required by Minimum Standards (26 TAC §749.503(a)(1)External Link and 26 TAC §749.513(1)External Link).
• If no other children are currently placed in the FAD home, consider placing the home on inactive status for at least six months. If other children are already placed in the FAD home, consider not allowing any new placements for at least six months.

After a Child’s Suicide Attempt

If a child in DFPS conservatorship attempts suicide, the FAD program director, FAD supervisor, or other staff members designated by the regional director must do the following:

• Contact the regional CPS mental health specialist (see the CPS Mental Health webpage [sic, intranet link]External Link on the DFPS intranet) and regional CPS trauma-informed care specialist (see the CPS Trauma-Informed Care webpage [sic, intranet link]External Link on the DFPS intranet) for mental health resources and community resources for the FAD caseworker, FAD parents, and children in the home who have a difficult time coping. These resources may include the following:
  • Opportunities to debrief to process thoughts and feelings related to the suicide attempt. 
  • Referrals to community services and other resources.
• Contact the FAD parents and FAD caseworker within 24 hours after learning of the child’s suicide attempt and schedule a meeting that will occur within seven business days. At this meeting, participants should review lessons learned from the child’s suicide attempt in a manner that does not blame anyone.
• Make sure that the FAD caseworker reports and documents the suicide attempt as a serious incident, as required by Minimum Standards (26 TAC §749.503(a)(12)External Link, 26 TAC §749.511External Link, and 26 TAC §749.513(1)External Link).
• Consider not allowing any new placements in the home for at least six months.