National Suicide Prevention Project
Learning from the experts, building bridges to implement successful life promotion and suicide prevention expertise across Aboriginal communities
Background
In November 2006, the Centre applied for funding through the National Suicide and Prevention Strategy of the Department of Health and Ageing (Australian Government) for the delivery of a project aimed at implementing, disseminating and documenting indigenous suicide prevention activities in Queensland. That application was successful, and in April, 2007, the Department funded the Centre a total of $1.5 million dollars over 3 years, to deliver the “NSPS - Building Bridges” project.
Description
“NSPS - Building Bridges” is a collaborative project between four indigenous communities (Dalby, Kowanyama, Hopevale and Yarrabah) and most CRRMHQ participants, aimed at supporting local strategies to reduce self-harm and promote resiliency. By extracting critical elements of the community-driven process, undertaken by Yarrabah to address suicide in their community, the project aims to encourage horizontal knowledge sharing between communities. Drawing on existing solutions and expertise as voiced through community forums (i.e. men’s groups and family well-being empowerment groups), horizontal knowledge sharing promotes the potential of communities to identify and implement solutions to distress. Establishing and maintaining forums that enable communities to undertake local planning and henceforth resolution processes, is a key activity of the project. “NSPS - Building Bridges” provides health information to indigenous communities via interactive technology modules, which are accessible through “touchscreen kiosks”, located centrally in each community
and in a correctional facility. Additionally, the project aims to describe risk and recovery in relation to resilience, by documenting the processes of community empowerment undertaken by the community of Yarrabah and shared with Dalby, Kowanyama and Hopevale.
An external evaluation comprises a major component of “NSPS - Building
Bridges”, and aims to assess both reliability and validity of project interventions in addressing risk factors associated with suicide, and health indicators associated with increased resilience for indigenous communities. Due to the extensive geographical area that the project covers, ethics approval has been sourced from a variety of ethics committees. Local expertise in each site is sought and informs the decision making process relating to project delivery activities for each area. The Centre is responsible for managing the project overall and, in collaboration with partners, report to the Department of Health and Ageing at regular intervals.
The Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Queensland was contracted
by the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Health (OATSIH) to
conduct a desktop scoping exercise of current mental health services in the
lower Gulf region.
The purpose of the scoping exercise is to identify, analyse and collate findings
from existing mental health service reviews and reports and develop options/
models for improving mental health service delivery. This will include:
• identification of the service providers and organisations that currently
..deliver services;
• identification of the gaps in service provision; and
• development of options/models for the provision of mental health care
..including costing estimates (but does not include a full financial analysis
..of capital works projects).
The consultancy includes the lower Gulf communities of Mornington Island,
Doomadgee, Normanton, Burketown and Bentinck Island.
Promotion in Drought Affected Areas of Central and South Western Queensland
During the implementation phase and first months of formal establishment, the
Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health Queensland (CRRMHQ), through
input from participant organisations and consultations, became increasingly
focussed on suicide and other unmet needs in mental health and wellbeing
for people living in the drought affected areas of Central and South Western
Queensland.
After a number of consultations and forums, the Centre in collaboration with
Agforce Queensland developed a project that encompassed a range of initiatives
around capacity building in the affected communities. The project aim is to
strengthen and support drought affected communities’ capacity to promote
mental health and prevent serious mental illness through early intervention,
informal community and self and family care.
Social, Emotional, Cultural and Spiritual Wellbeing
Framework Project
Health Promotion Queensland and the Department of Communities through the
Queensland Government Suicide Prevention Strategy has funded the CRRMHQ
to develop an evidence-based framework operationalising social, emotional,
cultural and spiritual wellbeing amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples. The frame work will inform population health approaches, policy,
planning and practice across the Aboriginal community controlled sector and
relevant Queensland Government departments. This 18 month research study
will draw on existing literature and relevant unpublished materials across the
range of fields relevant to interventions to promote mental health and wellbeing
including suicide prevention in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander settings.
The project process, which includes an Expert Working Group, brings together
nationally distinguished academics, practitioners and Queensland departmental representatives and will enable improved communication and cooperation across important sectors including communities, population health and mental.