Connected Mobs

The Connected Mobs project provided suicide prevention and postvention support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Melbourne’s west. 

Aboriginal communities are at a higher risk of suicide than the general population. This requires a tailored response, with leadership from the Aboriginal community an integral component of this response. 

To address the identified needs, services and community members required training in suicide recognition and interventions. We also wanted to build better relationships between community members, mental health services, community organisations and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. 

North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) identified the Aboriginal Wellness Foundation as the lead organisation to facilitate this project. Connected Mobs aimed to address a significant gap in culturally safe, community-led activities and interventions. 

This project was part of our place-based suicide prevention trial in Melton and Brimbank. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community has been identified as a priority population for NWMPHN and the Melton Brimbank Suicide Prevention Governance Group.

The Aboriginal Wellness Foundation: 

• facilitated community-led forums to encompass the voice of lived experience and to ensure the needs to the community are represented 
• hosted a co-design workshop with Aboriginal people, community and mental health services to identify and develop culturally appropriate responses to community need related to suicide 
• implemented training and capacity building to support the community need 
• hosted a community event to share what was learnt throughout the project 
• undertook a mapping project of useful, relevant and culturally safe services.