The Whitsunday Council of Mayors Suicide Prevention Taskforce Consultation Paper was developed by Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) on behalf of the Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday Regional Councils, in collaboration with the Whitsunday, Isaac and Mackay Suicide Prevention Community Action Planning Group, and the Mackay Hospital and Health Service.

The paper identifies six areas for improvement to provide a foundation for action that encompasses local, place-based interventions as well as longer term service system change approaches. The paper also highlights the increased complexity of suicide rates in relation to rurality and recommends consideration of geographical location when developing and resourcing interventions.
 
With the provision of preliminary funding confirmed for the Greater Whitsunday Council of Mayors Suicide Prevention Taskforce, the Greater Whitsundays Communities - the regional peak for social development – will progress action-planning activities that leverage the findings of this report and local intel. It is envisaged that as a community collective, the taskforce with initial funding will deliver interventions to reduce and prevent suicide in the greater Whitsunday region. 
 
To read the report, click here.

The ACH program will run for 12 months commencing 1 July and will be provided to a small number of clients across each region.

Who is it for ?

People over 65 living at home and people over 50 who are at risk of eviction or homelessness, have hoarding tendencies and/or live in domestic squalor.

Eligibility

Enquiries can be made via either My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or Anglicare SQ on 1300 610 610.

The Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre have recently developed culturally responsive suicide prevention resources and training courses:

1. Culturally Responsive Suicide Prevention Training for Human Service Workers: an online, free training which consists of four modules. This training teaches non-clinicians how to identify and support people from CALD backgrounds who may be at risk of suicide. Training can be accessed through their website. For support to register, participants can view the iLearn Registration and Course Enrolment Guide.
2. Communicating about Suicide in the Media: an online training course which aims to upskill media professionals working in CALD media outlet on how to report suicide safely in the media. Training can be accessed through their website. For support to register, participants can view the iLearn Registration and Course Enrolment Guide.
3. Supporting a person in your community who is suicidal: a suicide prevention community resource. Available in 26 different languages and simple English. This resource can be accessed through their website.
4. Suicide Prevention Resources Hub: which includes resources for service providers and people from a CALD background and links to organisations and services that can provide mental health, suicide prevention, or multicultural psychosocial supports. This hub can be accessed through their website.
5. Updated Glossary of Mental Health and Wellbeing Terms for Interpreters, Translators, and Bi-cultural Workers: which is available in 30 different languages and can be accessed through their website.