Project Spotlight

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A joint project between the Murrumbidgee Division of General Practice and the Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service, Life Matters for Koori Youth aims to address self-harming and suicidal behaviour by Indigenous youth within the communities of Western Riverina, NSW
Community Connections supports older men in Queensland rural areas who are at high risk of suicide. The program is coordinated through inter-agency referrals.
The Farm Link suicide prevention project seeks to improve the mental health and well-being of people who live and work on NSW farms. The project uses an innovative model that was founded on research and is consistent with policy.
The Post Discharge Care for High Risk Psychiatric Patients project involved an Intensive Case Management (ICM) intervention study and was developed to fill an existing gap in follow-up care for discharged psychiatric patients.
The LifeForce suicide prevention project is a national suicide prevention program that aims to educate, empower and resource Australian communities.
Lifeline Australia’s Suicide Bereavement Support Group Standards & Practice Project is a workforce development project which aims to improve suicide bereavement support by developing a) standards and guidelines to inform best practice and b) training for group facilitators.
Promote Living is a suicide prevention training project run by the Perth Primary Care Network in collaboration with the Western Australian Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention. The project consists of a series of training sessions for Western Australian GPs and nurses.
The purpose of the Making My Living initiative is to provide awareness education and engagement strategies to government and non-government youth service providers and community members who have contact with young refugee people.
The Suicide Call Back Service provides crisis counselling to people at risk of suicide, carers for someone who is suicidal and those bereaved by suicide, 24 hours per day 7 days a week across Australia.
Reducing Suicide and Its Impact In Culturally Diverse Communities in Tasmania aims to increase capacity for suicide prevention in refugee and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Tasmania.
The Mindframe National Media Initiative seeks to influence the media industry and the mental health sector to report mental illness and suicide issues responsibly, accurately and sensitively.
CAN - Community Connections emphasises the value of consumer led service delivery no matter what the consumer's mental health problem(s) may be.
The Community Broadcasting Suicide Prevention Project uses community radio networks around Australia to build a greater understanding of issues surrounding mental health and suicide prevention.
MindMatters is a national mental health initiative for secondary schools, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and implemented by Principals Australia Inc (formerly APAPDC).
Serving Indigenous youth aged 8 to 23, the overall aim of the Community Activity Programs through Education-Indigenous Police Citizen Youth Club (Cape PCYC) is to reduce youth boredom through sport and recreation.
The OzHelp expansion to Goulburn, Queanbeyan and NSW is project widening the geographic area covered by the OzHelp work-based program of support, advice and counselling for apprentices within the construction industry.
Multicultural Mental Health Australia provides national leadership in building greater awareness of mental health and suicide prevention amongst Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Rural Alive and Well is a community suicide prevention project that was developed in response to the extreme drought conditions prevalent in the Southern Midlands and Central Highlands of Tasmania.
The SANE Mental Illness Bereavement Project aims to improve services and support for family and friends of people with mental illness who have died by suicide or are missing.
The Mental Health First Aid Training and Research Program conducts research and training courses that aspire to increase Australians’ understanding of mental health.
Reach Out Pro is a web-based service that supports health care professionals to use new technologies in their work with young people. The Reach Out Pro website provides information about what young people are doing online and the significance of technology in their lives.
The Yiriman Project is a suicide prevention initiative that works with Aboriginal community and families in the south central and west Kimberley region in Western Australia for a 'whole of community' approach to support positive social change.
Suicide, QUestions, Answers and REsources (square) is a suicide prevention resource for people who work in primary health care. The resource promotes assessment and management of suicide risk in patients in the primary health care setting through training programs and follow-up sessions.
OzHelp Tasmania is a workplace-based early intervention and social capacity building program for the Tasmanian building and construction industry. The project delivers training, support and awareness raising activities to building and construction workers.
CALD Community Connections is a community suicide prevention project that works to increase wellbeing, reduce suicide risk and enhance capacity for individuals to respond to suicidal crises within CALD communities in Tasmania.
The SANE StigmaWatch program monitors the Australian media and voices community feedback about media representations to ensure accurate and respectful representation of mental illness and suicide.
The Integrated Client Services Delivery Program for the Family Courts of Australia project aims to improve people’s access to mental health services by ensuring the court system’s processes are as supportive as possible.
The StandBy Response Service is a community based program that provides a 24 hour coordinated crisis response to assist families, friends and associates who have been bereaved through suicide.
headspace provides health and mental health support, information and services to young people and their families across Australia. Issues headspace regularly deal with include self harm, depression, anxiety and alcohol and other drug use.

LIFE News

LIFE News issue 10, which focuses on suicide prevention in CALD communities, is now available online.

LIFE News is the online newsletter of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy in Australia. Published bi-monthly, LIFE News features comment, project updates, national and international research, and much more.

Previous editions of LIFE News can be located in the LIFE News archive.

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Suicide Call Back Service (SCBS)

Suicide Call Back Service (SCBS)

SCBS logo 2010

A phone counsellor for the SCBS.

The Suicide Call Back Service (SCBS) provides crisis counselling to people at risk of suicide, carers of someone who is suicidal and those bereaved by suicide, 24 hours per day 7 days a week across Australia.

People who are not linked in with current professional support can also access up to six sessions of ongoing counselling with the same counsellor at times scheduled to suit you.

SCBS is managed by Crisis Support Services Inc.

Aims

This service aims to provide support to people:

who are at risk of suicide
caring for someone at risk
bereaved by suicide.

Duration

Commenced July 2007.

Location

Based in Melbourne, SCBS is a free national service. An initial referral call to the service on 1300 659 467 is used to establish the on-going counselling call-backs.

Activities

SCBS provides suicide prevention telephone counselling that includes:

up to six 50-minute sessions
professional counsellors with specialist skills in working with suicide-related issues.

Resources
Suicide Call Back Service brochures, buisiness cards and posters are available by contacting Crisis Support Services on 03 8371 2800 or emailing enquiries@crisissupport.org.au.

Evaluation

The SCBS evaluation process has four core components:

internal and external consultation
review of caller data statistics and progress
pre and post program suicide risk assessments
follow-up customer satisfaction survey.

Suicide Call Back Service testimonials:

‘We are in a drought-affected area and my wife has attempted suicide a number of times. I am on my own trying to manage the farm with money, health and stock worries. Calling the Suicide Call Back Service means my wife and I now both have some support.’
‘The Suicide Call Back Service showed me that someone does care, despite the fact that sometimes it feels like no one else cares.’
‘The Northern Territory has few services, so the Suicide Call Back Service makes a big difference.’

Lessons learned

In order to maintain the highest level of service and to prevent service duplication, SCBS exclusions apply to:

clients already supported by mental health services
clients who are under the age of 18

Project partners

In addition to a wide range of mental health providers across Australia, the SCBS works with:

police
coroners
social workers
hospitals.

More information

Call the SCBS referral line 1300 659 467.

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The LIFE Framework is Australia’s national resource to prevent suicide and self-harm, and the centrepiece of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

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