Message from The CEO - Suicide Prevention Australia

Last month, I wrote to you about the upcoming Federal Budget needing to address suicide prevention as the cost-of-living crisis bites hard and distress levels in the community grow. With suicide death rates rising by seven percent last year across NSW and Victoria, the same rate as inflation, we are calling on the Albanese Government to treat suicide prevention with the same whole-of-government priority as inflation.   Prior to the Federal Budget being handed down each year, we make recommendations to the Australian Government about measures to address suicide prevention. Earlier in the year, we reached out to our members to provide input into our 2024-25 Pre-Budget Submission.   We are calling for significant investment in suicide prevention programs, strengthening the sector workforce and expanding data and evidence gathering. Further investment in cost-of-living relief is also essential.   In the submission, we are recommending that the Australian Government address five specific areas:  Equipping the community to help reduce suicide risk by making evidence-based 'first aid' suicide prevention training more accessible to key community members who commonly encounter at-risk people.  Expanding quality and access to suicide prevention programs through accreditation, by funding smaller community-based organisations to undertake the Suicide Prevention Accreditation Program.  Funding the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and the National Suicide Prevention Office to undertake monitoring and evaluation on implementation of the Strategy.  Fee-free training in Certificate IV Mental Health Peer Work to grow our lived experience workforce.  Funding the Australian Bureau of Statistics to conduct the Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey every four years to deliver timely data and evidence to inform effective and evidence-based suicide prevention policies.    Political commentary points to a tight budget and one that may come up short of expectations. As the peak body, we’ll continue to advocate for our sector and continue our discussions regarding substantial financial investment to support the upcoming National Suicide Prevention Strategy.    The past 12 months have seen an increase in suicide rates, not just interest rates. Australia cannot afford for this trend to continue. The nation’s economic and social wellbeing is at stake and action needs to be taken now.  Nieves

State and Territory LiFE Awards Recipients Congratulations to all the State LiFE Awards recipients – we are delighted to see their significant contribution to suicide prevention being recognised.   Award presentations took place in each state and territory, during March, to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary work being done throughout the country in suicide prevention and showcase dedication, innovation and leadership in our sector.  All recipients are finalists in the National LiFE Awards which will be announced at our LiFE Awards Gala Dinner as part of the National Suicide Prevention Conference in Adelaide on Wednesday 1 May.  You can find details of all the recipients in each state and territory and category on our website.  MORE

Share your views on the Suicide Prevention Australia Accreditation Program  We invite you to share your views on Suicide Prevention Accreditation Program and Standards. We have been accrediting suicide prevention programs since 2020 and have commissioned ARTD Consultants to complete an independent evaluation of the standards and the process. ARTD has prepared a survey that takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Click the link here or the button below to submit your views on the program.  We are particularly asking people with lived experience to:  complete the survey  participate in one of two focus groups of one hour in length, the week starting 6 May 2024. Participants will be asked about their views on the Accreditation Program and Standards. SURVEY Five new programs achieve accreditation We are delighted to announce the recent accreditation of:  Anglicare SA – Anglicare SA Suicide Prevention Service  Anglicare SA - The Way Back Support Service Adelaide  ifarmwell  HSE Global’s - Mental Health Fitness @ Work  Share the Spark’s - Passionate Professional Mentoring Program  Find out more about these programs and view all accredited programs below. MORE Limited offer: 50% off for accreditation We are offering organisational members 50% off the cost of getting accredited. The Accreditation Program provides transparency to funders, government and the public to ensure an organisation’s suicide prevention services are safe, effective, and impactful for those at risk. Commissioning bodies, such as Primary Health Networks and coordinators also consider whether programs are accredited or working towards accreditation under the national standards. It is the only national accreditation program for the suicide prevention sector. The discounted costs are limited so enquire now by emailing the Quality and Practice Team.  EMAIL

Adverse Childhood Experiences Project Thank you to members who have already provided input to the White Paper on Adverse Childhood Experiences. We have now prepared a set of draft recommendations and invite you to provide feedback on the section which outlines recommendations for government action. This section of the report contains several recommendations to help prevent adverse childhood experiences and reduce suicide risk among children and adults. The second part contains recommendations from past inquiries that have not been fully implemented or should be implemented in other jurisdictions about which we also invite you to provide feedback. Both these pieces of work will be available for your input in May. Please email Anne Leslie, Senior Policy Advisor to participate in the review. EMAIL Local Government Sustainability Submission Suicide Prevention Australia is preparing a submission to the Inquiry into local government sustainability – Parliament of Australia. The Inquiry is looking at the financial sustainability and funding of local government, including infrastructure, service delivery, and obligations of the jurisdiction.  We are seeking input to the strategic importance of local government as a tier of suicide prevention in infrastructure and service delivery, and the ways that role could be enhanced.  To provide input to this submission, please email Rebekah Henricksen by 24 April.  EMAIL

April Member Spotlight: Suicide Programs Suicide Programs was founded in 2017 by Melanie Schroder and Sandra Willie. They wanted to create an Australian organisation to develop and deliver evidence, lived and living experience-based training programs that were time and cost effective, and flexible in delivery so different communities and cohorts could have their unique needs addressed. Their offerings include CALM Care, a 3.5 hour suicide awareness program, and Accidental Counsellor. MORE March Community Tracker gets media coverage Last month, The Age covered Victorian insights from our March Community Tracker and our call upon the Victorian Government to provide additional cost-of-living relief measures and invest more money into suicide prevention.  We were also pleased to work with our member, SuperFriend, to add a clinical perspective to the distress being felt in our communities.  Read the full article from The Age below.  MORE

Member and Sector News ReachOut will be hosting a webinar on 24 April at 12.00 noon to launching a new research report, Parenting in the Digital Age: Managing youth mental health and wellbeing concerns, which explores key mental health and wellbeing concerns of parents and carers of young people. Jackie Hallan, ReachOut’s Interim CEO, will be joined by Julie Inman Grant, eSafety Commissioner, and Zac Seidler, Global Director, Men's Health Research at Movember, with Juanita Phillips, journalist and author, as MC. The panel of experts will unpack the findings from the report and share their insights and experiences. For more information and to register, see here. R U OK? has developed a new set of resources with the support of ING Australia. Retirement is the first topic in the When Life Happens, ask R U OK? series. Retirees and experts have shared their experiences and tips for how to support those navigating retirement. Access the full series here. Black Dog Institute has a new AI-driven research centre to revolutionise depression treatment - read more here. Black Dog Institute also launched a new campaign to ‘Fully Fund Mental Health in NSW’, calling on the NSW Government to urgently reform and invest in the state’s mental health system - read more here. Everymind recently released a joint statement with Beyond Blue, Public Health Association of Australia, Prevention United and Manna Institute, calling on governments to prioritise the prevention of mental ill-health - read more here.