Mum who lost son to suicide welcomes new Flintshire-wide action plan

A Flintshire mother who tragically lost her son to suicide has supported plans for a county-wide action plan to help prevent other families from experiencing the same heartache.

Flintshire County Council will be one of the first local authorities in Wales to develop an action plan, building on the Welsh Government’s new Suicide Prevention and Self-harm Strategy for 2025-26, after the proposals were approved by the council’s cabinet.

The meeting was attended by Louise Davies, whose son Kai took his own life in October 2023 aged just 22.

Mrs Davies said:

“One day my son went out laughing and joking, a happy, happy boy, and he never came home.

“Anything that can be done to prevent one family from going through the pain that we do every day for our boy not coming home has got to be accepted because something’s got to change.

“I’ll never know the reason why Kai never came home, never, because there were no signs.

“It means so much for me to stand up in front of people and keep my boy’s name alive, because I never want Kai to be forgotten. I want to be involved in stopping just one family, one child, from the pain Kai must have been going through and we didn’t know.”

Cabinet unanimously backed the proposal to create a local action plan to help put the new national strategy into practice in Flintshire.

It will focus on reducing risk of suicide and self-harm, improving understanding and strengthening support for individuals, as well as for families and communities affected by suicide and self-harm.

The proposal was brought forward by Councillor Glyn Banks, Cabinet Member for Waste and Transportation, and Councillor Helen Brown, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, with the report developed by Katie Wilby, Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation.

Councillor Banks said:

“Hearing directly from someone who has experienced such a devastating loss was a powerful reminder of why this work matters.

“By agreeing to develop a county-wide action plan, we are committing to listen, learn and work together with partners and communities to help prevent suicide and self-harm, and to ensure people affected by it receive the understanding and support they deserve."