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22nd April 2026

Our Sector Summit was an exciting day of knowledge sharing and networking at Church House, Westminster. If you have any questions about future Sector Summits, please email info@suicideandco.org.

2025
2024

Our Third Annual Sector Summit

The 2026 Suicide&Co Sector Summit served as a pivotal gathering for leaders, practitioners, and lived-experience advocates dedicated to redefining bereavement support. Building on the momentum of previous years, the summit focused on bridging the gap between clinical intervention and community-based healing. Watch the video below to check out the highlights of the day!

2026 Agenda

Registration

Welcome | Amelia Wrighton, CEO of Suicide&Co

Keynote: Challenging the Frameworks of Prevention and Postvention

Rachel Gibbons, Vice Chair of the Psychotherapy Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists

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Drawing on over two decades of experience, Dr Rachel Gibbons provideded an exploration of the emotional and systemic impact of suicide. This keynote reflects on her significant body of work and will critically examine the deeply held assumptions that often underpin both prevention and postvention policy, questioning traditional risk-reduction models and the perceived predictability of suicide. This session invited us to move beyond fear-driven responses toward a more nuanced and sustainable framework of care.

Panel Conversation: Deep Dives into Distinctive Expertise

This session brought together a diverse group of experts to shine a light on the vital work being done within specialised corners of the mental health and bereavement sector. Moving beyond "one size fits all" approaches, this panel explored the deep expertise required to support specific communities, from those navigating the complex trauma of a missing or mentally unwell loved one to the intensity of postpartum psychosis. Led by Nicky Hitchcock, the discussion delved into the rich insights gained from working within these distinctive areas. Panellists shared how their targeted interventions and knowledge can inform broader practice, ensuring that every individual receives the compassionate and expert support they deserve.

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Rich Baish, Development Manager, Action on Postpartum Psychosis

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Missing people written in black writting but Both I's are in pink
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Jane Hunter, Head of Research and Impact, Missing People

Black background with the words "Body & Soul" written in pink and white, featuring a pink heart.
Suicide&Co logo in green text.
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Nicky Hitchcock, Clinical Director, Suicide&Co

Kudzai Sitima, Co-Director, Body & Soul

Fireside Chat: Navigating the Digital Frontline: Youth Mental Health and Online Harms

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Louisa Rose, CEO,
Beyond

In this intimate fireside chat, we explored one of the most pressing challenges facing the sector today: the profound impact of the online world on youth mental health and suicide risk. While the digital landscape offers vital opportunities for connection, it also presents systemic risks, from addictive algorithms to the normalisation of self-harm content, that can exacerbate vulnerability in young people. This session aimed to move beyond the jargon of tech regulation to offer a hopeful, action-oriented dialogue on how we can collectively build a safer online world.

Coffee Break & Networking

Keynote: Reasons to Stay

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Ben West, Founder, Reasons to Stay

Black heart above the words "Reasons to Stay" and phrase "Remember why you stayed" in cursive underneath.

Ian Russel, Co-Founder & Chair, Molly Rose Foundation

In this keynote, Ben West shared the story behind Reasons to Stay, the groundbreaking digital platform that has captured national headlines since its launch. Moving beyond traditional resource lists, this initiative provides a modern, accessible space designed to offer immediate hope and tangible reasons to keep going for those in their darkest moments. Ben discussed the journey of building a platform that resonates with a digital-first generation and the vital role that creative, tech-led solutions play in the modern suicide prevention landscape.

Panel: Strategies for Inclusive Engagement

While the sector has made strides in service provision, the challenge of reaching those who feel outside the traditional "mental health conversation" remains. This panel, chaired by Louise Williams, explored successful strategies for encouraging help-seeking behaviours and broadening access to care across diverse and often underserved communities. From the grassroots cultural advocacy of the Majonzi Fund and Beder’s unique integration of sport and the arts, to the high-impact, national reach of CALM, our speakers shared a common goal: making support feel relevant, accessible, and inclusive.

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Suicide&Co logo in green text with a stylized font.

Louise Williams, Community Engagement Director, Suicide&Co

Wendy Robinson, Director of Services, CALM

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Dr Yansie Rolston, Director, Health and Wellbeing, Majonzi

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Razzak Mirjan, Founder, Beder

Keynote: The Evolution of Death Rituals in a Modern World

Catherine Betley, Head of Charity at MuchLoved

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As our lives become increasingly digitised, so too do the ways in which we mourn and remember. In this keynote, Catherine Betley drew on nearly 25 years of experience to explore the significant shifts in death rituals and the evolution of the "online tribute". Catherine dived into how these modern rituals provide new avenues for connection and commemoration. This session offered a fascinating look at how the sector must adapt to these changing behaviours, ensuring that as our rituals evolve, the standards of support we provide remain compassionate, effective, and fit for a digital age.

Morning Close: Amelia Wrighton

Lunch & Networking

Panel: Creating Compassionate Cultures

For many, the workplace is the primary environment they inhabit while navigating life’s hardest moments, yet standard HR protocols often fail to meet the complex reality of grief and mental health crises. This panel, hosted by EDF, explored how leading organisations are pushing the ceiling of workplace support, moving beyond "tick-box" bereavement leave towards more holistic, enhanced frameworks. By sharing insights from major employers like EDF and Mars, the discussion highlighted the shift from rigid policy to a deeply embedded culture of compassion.

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Sarah Jackson, Chief Medical Officer, EDF

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EDF logo with an orange stylized flower to the left of the word 'EDF' in blue.
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Rebecca Shula, Health and Wellbeing Manager, EDF

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Cordelia Linacre-Brown, Regional Brand Director, Mars

Paul McGregor, Founder, Everymind at Work

Fireside Chat: The White Elephant in the Room: The Hidden Risk in Plain Sight

The logo for Suicide&Co
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Amelia Wrighton, CEO, Suicide&Co

In this candid conversation, Amelia Wrighton and Maggie Cee explored the critical yet frequently misunderstood link between combined alcohol and cocaine use and elevated suicide risk. Despite the prevalence of this combination, it remains a "hidden risk" that often falls through the cracks of current data collection and coronial reporting. Maggie will share insights from the Co-alc Alliance’s work alongside bereaved families and frontline practitioners to highlight the systemic gaps in our existing prevention frameworks.

Maggie Cee, Founder, Co-alc Alliance

Keynote: Beyond the Bloodline: Recognising Everyone in Care


Marc Svensson, Founder & Chief Executive of You Are Loved CIC

In the landscape of grief, support is too often restricted by narrow, traditional definitions of "next of kin" or blood relatives. This keynote explored the profound impact of these exclusionary practices, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community and other networks where "chosen family" is central to an individual’s life. The session challenged the sector to broaden its understanding of kinship and eligibility, advocating for a more inclusive approach that recognises the depth of a bond rather than its legal status.

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Fireside Chat: From Pitch to Practice

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Amelia Wrighton, CEO, Suicide&Co

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Dave Nicoll, Co-Founder, LooseHeadz

In this conversation, Amelia Wrighton sat down with Dave from LooseHeadz to explore how a passion for sport has been harnessed to build a global movement for mental health. With a presence in over 1,400 rugby clubs across 36 countries, LooseHeadz has pioneered a unique model of "training from within," placing a dedicated mental health lead at the heart of every club. This session dived into how this peer-led approach has successfully brought entirely new, often traditionally "harder-to-access" audiences into the conversation, making support a natural part of the club environment.

Coffee Break & Networking

Keynote: Breaking the Mould: Achieving Male Engagement through Accessibility

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Dr Neera Dholakia, GP,  Boots Online Doctor 

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In a sector where men are often significantly underrepresented in support statistics, one service has challenged the status quo, achieving a remarkable 40% male client base. This keynote explored the model that drove this shift, moving away from traditional clinical gatekeeping towards a more intuitive, low-barrier approach. By stripping back the complexities of the referral journey, the service has successfully reached a demographic that is traditionally less likely to seek help but remains at the highest risk.

Fireside Chat: Navigating the New BSI Framework for Workplace Safety

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John Whitebrook Researcher, University of West London

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Caroline Roodhouse, Author of the BSI First Steps Guide

In November 2025, the British Standards Institution (BSI) launched BS 30480, the world’s first formal standard dedicated to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention in the workplace. This fireside chat brings together two pivotal figures in its development: John Whitebrook, who contributed his deep research into male suicide bereavement, and Caroline Roodhouse, who authored the accompanying First Steps Guide for SMEs. Together, they discussed how this framework moves beyond "wellbeing perks" to establish a rigorous, evidence-based gold standard for organisational safety.

Keynote: From Prediction to Relational Safety

Philip Pirie, Suicide Prevention Campaigner and Co-Chair of the NHS England ‘Staying Safe from Suicide’ Writing Group

For too long, the sector has relied on risk stratification tools, categorising individuals as ‘low’, ‘medium’, or ‘high’ risk, despite evidence that these models often fail to predict suicidal intent. In this keynote, Philip Pirie introduced the groundbreaking ‘Staying Safe from Suicide’ guidance, which marks a definitive shift away from these outdated checklists towards a model of ‘relational safety’. Philip, who co-chaired the writing group for this national framework, will share the evidence and drive behind this transition, advocating for a person-centred approach that prioritises therapeutic engagement and collaborative safety planning.

Colorful gradient background with text 'Junah Growing Caring Communities' in white

Fireside Chat: Professionalising Workplace Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

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Julie Castleman, Director, Junah

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logo for MHFA

Vicki Cockman, Director of Training and Consultancy, MHFA

As workplace wellbeing matures, the sector is moving towards a whole organisation approach. In this fireside chat, between Junah and Mental Health First Aid England we explored the innovations currently reshaping workplace training, moving away from reactive signposting to a trauma-informed, evidence-based model that empowers employees to navigate the most sensitive conversations with confidence.

16:40 - 17:00 | Keynote: Bolstering our Model with Digital Innovation

Amelia Wrighton, CEO, Suicide&Co

In the final keynote of the day, Amelia Wrighton reflected on the journey of Suicide&Co’s service development and the strategic innovations that are redefining how the charity supports those bereaved by suicide. Focusing on the recent launch of the Suicide&Co App, Amelia shared how digital technology is being used not just as a tool, but as a "backbone" to bolster their model.

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Networking Drinks