This qualitative study offers a significant contribution to addressing the increasing youth suicide rate in Australia, with suicide now the leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24 years old (AIHW, 2017, 2020b; Robinson et al., 2016). The research goal is to investigate what guides and shapes school social work practice in preventing and responding to suicidal students in Victorian secondary schools, and the implications for social work practice and education.