Nepean Blue Mountains Suicide Prevention Collaborative
What is The Nepean Blue Mountains Suicide Prevention Collaborative?
The Collaborative provides an opportunity for people with a lived and/or living experience of suicide, non-government organisations, government agencies, community groups, volunteers, and relevant businesses or sole traders to work together in preventing suicide across the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Lithgow and Penrith local government areas.
The core group of members meets once a month from February to November on the second Tuesday of every month, to guide and evaluate how the Collaborative can best meet its aims and goals. Working groups formed to action and achieve the Collaborative’s aims meet at separate times to get specific activities happening as part of a region-wide suicide prevention action plan.
Working groups interact and collaborate with each other, core members, and the backbone organisation Wentworth Healthcare. The Collaborative’s governance structure supports this communication and lived and/or living experience of suicide representation on all the groups involved.
How did it start?
Expert suicide prevention evidence and research undertaken in Australia by The Black Dog Institute was offered to Collaborative members who benefitted from these learnings during a local capacity building program. This created a groundswell of interest in establishing The Nepean Blue Mountains Suicide Prevention Collaborative.
What are they working on?
The priorities collectively identified by the Collaborative help generate action plans and develop working groups to progress specific projects and contribute to public awareness campaigns and education.
Core members have prioritised three strategies to reduce suicide deaths at a local level and fill existing service gaps or support broader approaches to suicide prevention, and 16 high-priority activities for potential inclusion in action plans. To find out more about identified strategies and priorities, read this information sheet.
How do I join?
Every one of us has a role to play in suicide prevention - and we invite you to help. We know that preventing suicide is not the sole responsibility of any one person, group, service or sector.
In everything we do, we encourage collaboration with people who have a lived and/or living experience of suicidal thoughts, surviving a suicide attempt, supporting a loved one through suicidal crisis, or being bereaved when someone in their life has died by suicide.
The Collaborative supports paid participation of people with a lived and/or living experience and we welcome you to contact us and help us reduce suicides.
To receive this payment, you will be asked to complete a police check and some financial declarations.
There are several ways to get involved.
- You can express interest in joining a working group. All contributions are welcome to progress activities including any events and partnerships planned. Working group members are required to commit a minimum of an hour of your time each month to attend project meetings.
- You can express interest in being considered for the next annual intake on the core membership group towards the end of the calendar year. Core members are required to commit a minimum of two hours of your time each month between February and November each year to attend coordination meetings.
- If you are unsure how you would like to contribute, or you cannot commit to regular meetings, you can express interest to join as a supporter by your contact details and we will be in touch.
To register your interest in participating on one or more working groups and/or the core membership group, please read the terms of reference and complete the online form below. Once you’ve completed the form, we will contact you to discuss further.
For questions, to learn more, or general queries, email Joshua Stojanovic - Regional Suicide Prevention Coordinator or call 4708 8100
