Submissions

The draft National Suicide Prevention Strategy represents a vital step forward in addressing one of Australia’s most pressing issues. The Strategy emphasises that suicide prevention is a collective responsibility and integrates efforts to address the social determinants of suicide. Notably the Strategy places strong emphasis on incorporating lived experience at its core, and providing timely, culturally safe, trauma informed and compassionate services. While the strategy is comprehensive, we are advocating for stronger recognition of the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Sector with clearer pathways to non-clinical support. Not all mental distress necessitates a medical response; many individuals could benefit from early interventions such as peer support, counselling, and community-based programs, which can help reduce demand on crisis services.

In this submission we emphasise the need to strengthen the key objectives by:

• having a greater focus on equitable access to safe spaces for youth to foster connections and build resilience;
• improving GP understanding of the role and value of the community mental health and wellbeing workforce and co-locating peer workers within primary care;
• improving workforce development for the peer workforce to prioritise their mental health and wellbeing to prevent burnout and ensure effective support for others;
• strengthening accessibility of services and supports across the continuum of care by scaling up community-based supports and improving access to community mental health services;
• Investigating the connection between digital activity and suicide risk to develop tailored interventions that empower youth with the skills to navigate social media in a positive manner;
• expanding the list of targeted support for specific communities to include refugees and FIFO workers and by developing culturally sensitive, person-led interventions that address their specific needs and promote long term wellbeing;
• developing a national social prescribing scheme.