The parents of a 14-year-old boy who took his own life 18 years ago say Guernsey still has a “long way to go” when it comes to suicide awareness and support.
Mandy and Colin Le Bachelet’s, whose son Jean-Pierre – also known as JP – died on 19 June 2008, have gone onto work in groups helping others who have experienced loss.
Mandy said over the years issues around suicide have got better but more work was needed in Guernsey, especially around education.
Health and Social Care committee member Sally Rochester, who is the deputy in charge of mental health, said there was a “huge demand” for services and improvements were dependent on resources.
The family spoke days after Guernsey’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy said there had been “real progress”, particularly for children and young adults.
However, Mandy said: “I think there’s still a long way to go.
“Although schools are trying their best, I don’t think there’s enough done in education, because especially after Covid you had a lot of children suffering with anxiety.
“There’s a support worker in there, but the schools are getting so large now, they’ve reduced our schools made them bigger.”
