Andy Burnham has expressed support for making suicide prevention training mandatory for social workers across England following the death of Matilda Davis, a 36-year-old parent-carer who died by suicide minutes after an emotional meeting with social workers in October last year.
Davis, a former art teacher, had been struggling with the demands of caring for her seven-year-old son while managing anxiety about an impending divorce. She had communicated her distress to multiple professionals but did not receive adequate support from England’s social care system. At her inquest in March, social workers acknowledged they did not inquire whether Davis had thoughts of suicide despite being aware of her significant distress, nor did they direct her to crisis organizations. Following this, the coroner issued a prevention of future deaths notice requiring Warwickshire council to implement mandatory suicide prevention training for approximately 600 staff members, primarily social workers.
Manuela Perteghella, the Liberal Democrat MP representing the area where Davis lived, raised the matter at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, referencing University of Birmingham research indicating that 41% of parent-carers have contemplated suicide. Burnham confirmed he would ensure a minister meets with Perteghella and Davis’s family to discuss the proposal for mandatory training across local authorities.
Davis’s brother, Joel Harley-Davis, stated the family was reassured by Burnham’s response and believed the training could have prevented his sister’s death. He emphasized that direct questioning about suicidal thoughts could have made a difference, given his sister’s honesty. He also stressed the need for mandatory implementation rather than leaving decisions to individual councils, warning against creating disparities in suicide prevention measures across regions.
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