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 businesses to work together in preventing suicide across the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Lithgow and Penrith local government areas.

Members meet 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 develop specific activities as part of a region-wide suicide prevention action plan.

Working groups interact and collaborate with each other, Collaborative 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 groups involved.

We support the Collaborative through funding from the Australian Government’s Targeted Regional Initiatives for Suicide Prevention program.

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.

The Collaborative 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.

How do I join?

Suicide prevention takes a collective effort from a diverse group of people to ensure we are looking at the different approaches and perspectives to help prevent suicide. We welcome you to share professional or personal experiences and passions. Every one of us has a role to play and we invite you to help. 

In everything we do, we encourage collaboration with people who have a lived and/or living experience of suicidal thoughts, surviving a suicide attempt, supporting a loved one through suicidal crisis, or being bereaved when someone in their life has died by suicide.

The Collaborative supports paid participation of people with a lived and/or living experience. To receive this payment, you will be asked to complete a police check and some financial declarations. Having a criminal record does not prevent you from being involved. 

There are several ways to get involved.

1. You can express interest in joining a working group, focussed on short-term activities. All contributions are welcome to progress activities including any events and partnerships planned. Working group members are required to commit a minimum of an hour each month to attend project meetings.
   
   
2. You can express interest in being considered for the next annual intake of the Collaborative towards the end of the calendar year. Members are required to commit a minimum of two hours each month between February and November each year to attend coordination meetings.
   
   
3. If you would like to support the Collaborative but are unsure how you would like to contribute, or you cannot commit to regular meetings, you can become a supporter by emailing your contact details and we will be in touch.

Expressions of Interest close Sunday 30 November. Before registering your interest, please read the terms of reference and complete the online form below. Once you’ve completed the form, we will contact you about the next steps of your application to be involved.

For questions, to learn more, or general queries, email Joshua Stojanovic - Regional Suicide Prevention Coordinator or call 4708 8100