IntroductionAccording to Fowler, Crosby, Parks, and Ivey (2013), suicide and non-fatal suicidal ideation are important public health problems for adolescents and young adults. Although the onset of suicidal behavior is observed as early as age six, rates of death and nonfatal injuries resulting from suicidal behavior are moderately low until age 15 (Fowler et al. , 2013). According to Fowler et al (2013), the most recent statistics available in the United States indicate that suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 14 and 15 to 19, and the second leading cause of death . deaths among people aged 20 to 24. In 2012, there were an alarming number of youth suicides in Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware (Fowler, Crosby, Parks, & Ivey, 2013). According to a collaborative investigative report by the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP), the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eleven suicides occurred was committed by young people. aged 12 to 21 over a five-month period in Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware (Fowler et al., 2013). During this same five-month period, 116 youth attempted suicide (Fowler et al., 2013). These incidents have caused great concern in the community for two main reasons. The first reason was that the number of suicide deaths in the first quarter of 2012 exceeded the number of suicide deaths typically reported in this two-county region over an entire year (Fowler et al., 2013). According to Fowler et al. (2013), from 2009 to 2011, the typical annual number of youth suicide deaths...... middle of article...... 12 – 24, by 25%. Works Cited Fowler, KA, Crosby, AE, Parks, SE and Ivey, Arizona (2013). Kent and Sussex County Youth Suicide Cluster Investigation – Delaware, 2012: Final Report. Kent and SussexCounties, DE: Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jansson, B.S. (2012). The reluctant welfare state: engaging history to advance social work practice in contemporary society (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Merriam Webster. (1991). The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus. Springfield, MA: EncyclopediaBritannica/Merriam-Webster, Inc. Netting, FE, Kettner, PM, McMurtry, SL, & Thomas, ML (2012). MacroPractice of Social Work (5th ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc..