Oxfordshire woman ‘left without support’ after husband’s death calls for change
She is campaigning for family liaison officers to be mandatory for those bereaved by suicide
A woman from Oxfordshire who lost her husband to suicide is calling for mandatory guidance to help families bereaved by suicide after she says she was left with “no support whatsoever”.
Mimi Conder, 34, from Chinnor has started a petition calling for Jason's Law, named after her husband, so that families bereaved by suicide would have mandatory access to a family support officer (FLO) who could guide them.
So far, the petition has gained more than 4,000 signatures and if it reaches 10,000 it will mean that the Government will respond.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Mimi said: “We had no guidance or support on any of the processes that were due to follow, such as the inquests and interim death certificate, which I didn't even know there was such thing.
“I also had to Google what an inquest was. So, while we're already going through the most horrific time, we were just left with no support whatsoever.”
“Even police statements, I was like, why have I got to give a statement because most of the time if you're giving a statement, it's because you've done something wrong. So even that was daunting”, she adds.
Mimi also said, “we're not asking for the family liaison officers to be counsellors”.
“They are the best people to give the guidance and support as to what's coming next as they have contact with any pathologists, coroners, and they'll know the case.”
Ms Conder says she has spoken with many other families who’ve gone through similar experiences.
“I've had so many messages from people that have lost loved ones through suicide, and they all pretty much say we were left, and some of them are horrific.
“Even though I'm going through this and I've been through it, just hearing those other people that are having to go through a similar thing is heart-breaking.
“The majority of people are left like this and it's a postcode lottery. Some will get the help, but this is why it needs to be mandatory because no loss is greater than any other loss.”
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “We recognise the enormous impact suicides have on families, and Thames Valley Police follow NPCC guidance for deployment of FLOs.
“Suicides are investigated on behalf of the appropriate Coroner and are not considered to be suspicious deaths, and so a FLO deployment is not generally required.
“For support, we share the attached leaflets for bereaved families, which can signpost them to relevant support organisations.
“It’s important to stress that we follow the NPCC guidance on FLO deployment.”