Skip to main content Skip to navigation Skip to footer
BETA

This is a new website - your feedback will help us to improve it.

National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group

Back

The advisory group is here to support and challenge us to consider the complexities and inequalities of suicide.

Introduction 

The National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group provides independent advice to the Scottish Government, COSLA and Suicide Prevention Scotland on the delivery of Creating Hope Together.

Creating Hope Together is the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint long-term suicide prevention strategy.

Members of the group are selected because of their understanding of the complexities and inequalities of suicide.

This knowledge and experience is critical to achieving the strategy’s vision of reducing suicide whilst tackling the inequalities which contribute to suicide.

The group provides advice and support to the Scottish Government, COSLA and Suicide Prevention Scotland.

It also offers an independent assessment of progress on delivery of Creating Hope Together.

The National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group's terms of reference and copies of minutes from its meetings are available on the Scottish Government website.

Meet the group's chair

Christine Goodall was appointed the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group chair in November 2024.

Professor Goodall founded Medics Against Violence which now runs a range of violence reduction programmes in hospitals, communities and schools. This includes the Navigators and Youth Navigators programmes.

As a surgeon, an academic and an innovator in her work around violence reduction, Christine has been instrumental in making change that improves people's lives.
Content block image

Who’s on the advisory group?

The group’s membership is diverse, coming from a wide range of police and practice settings. They are:

  • Professor Christine Goodall OBE - Chair

  • Dr Linda Findlay - Royal College of Psychiatrists Scotland

  • Louise Hunter - Who Cares? Scotland

  • Dr Douglas Hutchison - Association of Directors of Education Scotland

  • Peter Kelly - Poverty Alliance

  • Catherine McWilliam - Institute of Directors Scotland

  • Brendan Rooney - Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust

  • Professor Andrea Williamson - Professor of General Practice and Inclusion Health, University of Glasgow