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 us as the backbone organisation. 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 interest in establishing The Nepean Blue Mountains Suicide Prevention Collaborative.
Members selected our organisation to offer backbone support for the planning of meetings and engagement of people involved. As a member, we also contribute time, expertise and resources.
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. The three strategies are:
- Training the community to recognise and respond to thoughts of suicide
- Engaging the community and providing opportunities to be part of the change
- Improving the competency and confidence of frontline workers to deal with suicidal crisis
As part of one of the Collaborative’s first activities, members produced a short public awareness video for World Suicide Prevention Day featuring people who live and work in our region. The video aims to grow community understanding of the complexities of suicide and share insights into lived experiences of suicide.
To find out more about identified strategies and priorities, read this information sheet. More information about the working groups is also available via this information sheet.
Can I join the Collaborative?
In the coming months, the group will recruit more like-minded individuals to join working groups to develop other activities in line with the Collaborative's goals. We will actively support the recruitment of additional members via our website, advertising and social media. In the meantime, interested individuals are encouraged to join our Connected Community newsletter to stay up to date with the latest information, including how to apply once recruitment begins.
For questions, to learn more, or general queries, email Joshua Stojanovic - Regional Suicide Prevention Coordinator or call 4708 8100
