Culturally safe suicide prevention training

On 14 October 2022, hundreds of properties in Maribyrnong were inundated when the Maribyrnong River flooded, with devastating impacts on the community, their homes, and livelihoods.

It is estimated that more than 1300 residents were affected by the disaster. By 2024, much of the flood impacted community was still in recovery mode, with some remaining displaced, or living in uninhabitable homes, while others were still navigating the insurance process.

The event has had a profound and long-lasting impact on the mental health and wellbeing on all who were affected. For many, this did not become evident until significant time had passed.

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities face a magnitude of barriers to accessing mainstream services which can have devastating impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of the community due to limited culturally appropriate information about the importance and urgency to access support.

The Culturally safe suicide prevention project provided access to ASIST and safeTALK culturally adapted suicide prevention training, enabling the community to recognise and respond to warning signs of suicide and where and how to access supports.

The project also provided the opportunity for four community members to become training facilitators (two for safeTALK and two for ASIST), accessing under-utilised community knowledge and expertise by establishing trusted and respected community leaders as suicide prevention advocates.

By providing the opportunity for community members to become facilitators, the training was delivered in a culturally appropriate way that aims to reduce stigma, improve cultural attitudes and beliefs, and enhance help-seeking behaviour.

This project aimed to provide unique and tailored suicide prevention training to CALD residents impacted by the 2022 Maribyrnong flood event, and the workforce that supports them.

It increased mental health and wellbeing literacy and access to support.

The project aimed to further enhance local community responses, with the opportunity for four CALD community members to become local suicide prevention advocates. LivingWorks Australia (LWA) will delivered the training program consisting of the adapted CALD ASIST and safeTALK workshops in addition to providing Train the Trainer resources.

The delivery of this program helped to reduce stigma and improve CALD community and local workforce capability to identify and respond to suicidal distress.

The project objectives were:

1. Increasing awareness providing relevant information in a culturally appropriate way that aims to reduce stigma, improve cultural attitudes and beliefs, and enhance help-seeking behaviour.
2. Suicide prevention education to inform CALD communities in a safe and culturally appropriate way on how to recognise and respond to warning signs and where to get the right help when needed.
3. Skills-based development by utilising existing community expertise and enhancing their capability to deliver adapted suicide prevention training to their local communities, allowing for sustainability and a culturally appropriate community response.