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The causes of suicide are multifactorial, strongly linked to social determinants of health and wellbeing, and are unique for each region and community. As a result, there is a need for suicide prevention strategies that are adapted to engage local communities and can span across sectors. A systems-based approach to preventing suicide and suicidality enables a pathway for promotion of protective factors, compassionate response to early signs of distress, and social, emotional and cultural wellbeing. This is the rationale for CHN’s Suicide Prevention Program, established in July 2023 as part of the national Targeted Regional Initiatives for Suicide Prevention (TRISP) Program.
CHN has adopted a community-led and systems-based approach to building initiatives that respond to the specific needs of the ACT community, including targeting populations identified at risk of suicide or suicidal distress in our region. To enable this, CHN established the ACT & Region Suicide Prevention Community Collaborative (the Collaborative), which was formed in the spirit of collaboration and integration across individuals, government and non-government agencies who are committed to suicide prevention at a community level in the ACT. The Collaborative has over 50 members from multiple sectors and roles.
A key initial activity of the Collaborative was planning and prioritisation for CHN’s commissioning of TRISP initiatives in the ACT. This included workshops and consultation where the Collaborative considered and unpacked which population groups in the ACT were at increased risk of suicide or suicidal distress, and planned for how best to target and support these groups. The Collaborative’s shared planning and prioritisation facilitated the establishment of 3 sustainable initiatives aimed at supporting men and multicultural communities in the ACT, and has informed broader planning for suicide prevention for CHN and the wider system.