What the Royal Commission said
The Royal Commission called for a coordinated focus on suicide prevention and response.
It recommended the establishment of a new Suicide Prevention and Response Office. The office will be led by a State Suicide Prevention and Response Adviser.
The office will ensure that people with lived and living experience of suicidal behaviour contribute to the development and delivery of suicide prevention and response initiatives. This includes the participation of suicide attempt survivors, people who have experienced suicidal thoughts and behaviours, family members, carers, and people with lived experience of bereavement.
The Royal Commission also called for a new suicide prevention and response strategy. This will be co-produced with people with lived experience of suicide. The strategy will ensure that all parts of government and the Victorian community contribute to suicide prevention efforts.
The Royal Commission found:
- people with lived experience should contribute to program and policy development
- responsibility for suicide prevention and response must sit at the most senior levels of government
- coordination between programs and services at the Commonwealth and state levels is critical
- there needs to be a system wide approach to reducing suicide
- suicide prevention and response must be everyone’s business.
The Royal Commission called out the need to raise the profile of suicide prevention and response across government. This involves working with all Victorian government departments and key agencies. It also involves working with the Commonwealth Government and other sectors.
The Royal Commission described a need for lived experience-led programs and policies. The knowledge and expertise of people with lived and living experience will be vital to creating high-quality services.
Suicide Prevention and Response Office and State Adviser
The Suicide Prevention and Response Office was established in the Department of Health in 2022. The office is led by the State Suicide Prevention and Response Adviser. The office works to ensure a coordinated suicide prevention and response approach across the state, and in partnership with the Commonwealth Government.
The Suicide Prevention and Response Victorian Secretaries’ Board Subcommittee was established in 2022 to elevate suicide prevention and response across all government decision making. Membership of the subcommittee includes all Victorian Government departments, the Coroner’s Court of Victoria, WorkSafe Victoria and Victoria Police. The subcommittee ensures accountability for suicide prevention and response outcomes. It delivers on recommendation 26.2.e and recommendation 46.2.c of the Royal Commission’s final report.
A Suicide Prevention and Response Expert Advisory Committee was also established in 2022. The membership of the Expert Advisory Committee includes people with diverse lived and living experiences of suicide, as well as clinical, academic and sector experts. The Expert Advisory Committee ensures that lived and living experience perspectives and knowledge is embedded within government policies and programs. It provides advice to the State Suicide Prevention and Response Adviser and the subcommittee.
A new suicide prevention and response strategy
The Suicide Prevention and Response Office has published a new suicide prevention and response strategy. It has been co-designed with people with lived and living experience of suicide. The strategy outlines the 10-year vision for Victoria, including how we will build a systems-based, whole-of-government and community-wide approach. The strategy is supported by an accountability framework and rolling implementation plans that are responsive to emerging evidence.
Activities to develop the strategy included:
- a public submission process
- targeted conversations with diverse sectors and services
- a series of roundtable discussions with groups disproportionately impacted by suicide
- co-design workshops with people with lived and living experience of suicide.
We are also partnering with the Balit Durn Durn Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing (Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation) to deliver an Aboriginal-led approach to suicide prevention and response
Read the strategy on the Suicide prevention and response in Victoria page.
Reviewed 09 December 2024