On 7 and 8 May 2024, the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) hosted three information sessions regarding Community wellness and suicide prevention grant process.

Below, you will find the presentation that was shared, along with a summary of all questions asked during these sessions and their corresponding answers:

• Community wellness and suicide prevention presentation 
• Community wellness and suicide prevention FAQ

• Sponsorship of discrete events or activities.
• A grant being made available for activities that are otherwise already funded. 
• Direct service provision to community members, unless you can clearly demonstrate how service provision will be sustained beyond the life of the funding. 

Wellness can be considered as ‘a positive state experienced by individuals and societies. Like health, it is a daily resource determined by social, economic and environmental conditions.

A person’s wellness can be influenced by environmental, social, and economic factors at the individual, family and community level, and each person’s unique circumstances and experiences contribute to their wellbeing. Wellness is multidimensional, covering aspects of life including housing, income, work and job quality, health, knowledge and skills, civic engagement, social connections, safety, and work-life-balance.

Suicide prevention is the effort to reduce deaths by suicide, suicide attempts across all levels of society and create a supportive environment for the broader community and those with a lived experience of suicide. This includes individuals, communities, and entire nations. It focuses on promoting wellbeing and overall health for both individuals and society. Just like physical health, mental wellbeing is a resource that helps us navigate daily life. Suicide prevention works on many levels and aims to address many factors including social, economic, opportunities, and the environment we live in.

Consultation undertaken by NQPHN throughout 2023 and 2024 identified 11 specific priority population groups that need to be prioritised in local regional efforts. These are not listed in order of importance.   

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• LGBTQIA+SB people
• Culturally and linguistically diverse communities and refugees
• People experiencing homelessness or housing instability
• Children and young people, including those in our of home care
• Older Australians (over 65, or over 50 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)
• People living in regional, rural, and remote areas of Australia
• People experiencing or at risk of abuse and violence, including sexual abuse, neglect and family and domestic violence
• People with a disability
• Australian Defence Force members and veterans
• People experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage

Further information on priority populations can also be found at Life in Mind 

In 2023, Suicide Prevention Australia produced the Socio-Economic and Environmental Determinants of Suicide paper, which detailed 22 social determinants of suicide. Nineteen of the 22 are applicable to the desired outcome of these grants.

1. Bullying and harassment

2. Chronic pain and health conditions

3. Contact with the justice system

4. Damage to cultural continuity/connection

5. Discrimination and stigma

6. Domestic, family, and sexual violence

7. Educational disruption

8. Employment distress

9. Family and other relationship dysfunction

10. Financial distress

11. Food insecurity

12. Harms of alcohol and other drugs

13. Harms of gambling

14. Housing insecurity and homelessness

15. Impacts of adverse childhood experiences

16. Impacts of traumatic events

17. Intergenerational/ transgenerational trauma

18. Isolation

19. Loneliness

The full document can be read here 

‘People with a lived experience of suicide’ is defined as ‘those who have experienced thoughts of suicide, survived a suicide attempt, cared for someone through suicidal crisis, been bereaved by suicide and/or having a loved one who has died through suicide.

It is important to acknowledge that this understanding and experience may be different for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and suggest that suicidal crisis, thoughts, behaviours and/or actions stem from the breakdown in social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual wellbeing.  

People with lived experience and their families and carers must be at the centre of the next phase of reform. Success requires their voices at the forefront to lead, drive and inform systems and services, with a greater focus on integrating their lived experience into policy, practice, and research. Elevating the diverse voices of our communities, particularly those who are currently underserved, is essential. These include young people, older people, First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+SB people, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans and their families, and people living in rural and remote areas.