Community Engagement Northern NSW

Funding from Healthy North Coast through its North Coast PHN program, resources Lifeline to work right across the Lismore local government area. Lifeline is supported through strong connections with local government, community organisations and through the commitment of local community leaders and members.

Lifeline promotes the capacity of local communities to develop, implement and sustain their own suicide safer community. We recognise this is a continuous journey that allows communities to take responsibility for their own development, bringing in local resources and approaches.

The trial is implementing an Action Plan - a strategic and coordinated document utilising the Black Dog Institute’s LifeSpan model. This will see nine community-led strategies connecting new and existing interventions, while building a suicide prevention safety net for the Lismore community. Click here for a copy of the Transition Plan summary.

The Collaborative promotes building the capacity of local communities to develop, implement and sustain a suicide safer community. They acknowledge that this is a continuous journey which allows communities to take responsibility for their own development, whilst bringing in local subject matter experts, resources and approaches.

Integral to community engagement in the Lismore LGA is the Suicide Prevention Coordinator role. The full-time role aims to prevent suicide and promote good mental health and wellbeing in Lismore by adopting an evidence-based, integrated approach to suicide prevention.

The Lismore trial is overseen by a Steering Committee, the Lismore Suicide Prevention Collaborative, which is made up of local service providers, people with lived experience of suicide, as well as government and non-government agencies. This is led by a full-time project Coordinator, Cath Bird.

• Creating suicide prevention community connections
• Implementing the Action Plan’s five Objectives
• Delivering presentations that start suicide prevention conversations as well as planning and participating in community events
• Coordinating and delivering suicide prevention programs and training for community members, service providers, businesses, schools, parents/carers, GPs, pharmacists and mental health professionals.

Cath Bird, Lifeline Community Engagement Coordinator - Suicide Prevention

M: 0400 709 101

Training is a key element in saving lives. Being able to identify and intervene when people are having thoughts of suicide is a skill for life. The Skills For Life programs listed below are subsided by the Lismore Suicide Prevention Collaborative with support from Lifeline as part of the Healthy North Coast initiative.

• START: suicide awareness, 60-90 minutes online – nil cost
• Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR): suicide awareness, 60-90 minutes online - nil cost
• Mind Your Mates: 45 min f2f presentation - nil cost
• safeTALK - nil cost - see more information below
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST): fully subsidised
• Advanced Training Suicide Prevention (ATSP): $50 admin fee
• Accidental Counsellor: 5 hours online, nil cost

What you can expect from participating in START:

• Become more comfortable talking about suicide
• Support friends and co-workers
• Build professional skills
• Have peace of mind knowing you’re ready to help
• Fully Subsidised - no cost

A half day suicide prevention awareness program: 3.5 HRS

What you will take away from the workshop:

• Recognise that invitations for help are often overlooked
• Move beyond common tendencies to miss, dismiss, and avoid conversations around suicide
• Notice and respond to situations in which thoughts of suicide may be present
• Apply the basic TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen, and Keep -safe)

Training in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training:

2 FULL DAYS

What to expect:

• ASIST aims to enhance caregivers’ abilities to help a person at risk to avoid suicide
• Participants learn to recognise when someone may be at risk of suicide and respond in ways that help increase immediate safety and link them to help
• Extensive evaluations of ASIST outcomes have shown that participants demonstrate increased intervention skills and that ASIST training has led to positive changes in both knowledge and attitudes about suicide

Find out more about Skills-for-Life training courses and see upcoming training dates by going to the Training Page.

Contact us on 1300 152 854 or fill in the form below for more information: