Suicide Awareness Training – Indigenous

Delivery: 3 hours via face-to-face classroom or virtually via Zoom

Audience: Anyone, 16 years +

As the leading cause of death amongst Australians between the ages of 15 and 49, suicide has a devastating impact on individuals, families, workplaces, and entire communities. Community awareness, connections, and resilience are critical to suicide prevention, recognising the important role of the wider population in building mentally healthy communities that are well-networked and resourceful.

With Indigenous people dying by suicide at twice the rate of the general population, and suicide accounting for 5.5% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths (compared to 1.9% of all non-Indigenous deaths), there is a growing concern over the high and increasing rates of suicide attempts among First Nations people. Such trends point to a significant need for tailored suicide prevention and support services.

Underpinned by an understanding of the individual and cultural aspects of Indigenous communities, this tailored Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training supports those who work with First Nations people to develop an understanding of the historical, social, and cultural factors that contribute towards high rates of suicide, as well as the skills, knowledge, and confidence to:

• identify suicide warning signs
• facilitate supportive conversations surrounding suicide
• refer those at risk of suicide towards professional help.
  
  

Delivered within a convenient time frame, this contextualised QPR workshop is an excellent tool for those who work with and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and want to become more culturally aware and responsive to the needs of First Nations people and communities.