Victoria University suicide prevention project

The Victoria University suicide prevention project aimed to build the capacity of the university workforce and student population to recognise and respond to people who are at risk of suicide, and to put these skills to work within the broader community.

It was delivered in several stages: upskilling VU workforce to deliver suicide prevention training ASIST and safeTALK; increasing the capability of the student wellbeing program to respond to students experiencing suicidal distress; and providing the student population with the tools to recognise and respond to suicide risk.

This activity was part of the Melton and Brimbank Place-Based Suicide Prevention Trials.

The project successfully achieved its aims and improved staff and student literacy and understanding to recognise and respond to suicide risk and utilise these skills across the community, in professional and personal capacities.

Outcomes included:

• Staff of the Bachelor of Nursing course were trained in safeTALK and became safeTALK facilitators.
• Student wellbeing staff were trained in assist with some becoming ASIST facilitators.
• safeTALK was embedded into the Bachelor of Nursing course curriculum, becoming a requirement of the mental health unit.
• Within the Victorian University student mental health strategy, a training calendar was developed to recruit and train easily identifiable student wellbeing ambassadors and staff wellbeing ambassadors.
• Training sessions focused on furthering ambassadors’ understanding of how and where to access wellbeing programs and services, how to co-create and co-design health promotion programs, how to deliver health promotion programs and activities.
• Question Persuade Refer (QPR) suicide prevention training was successfully been delivered to students.
• Feedback from students indicated that training was beneficial, aiding a stronger connection to the VU counselling and wellbeing team.
• The Student Wellbeing unit reported an increase in students accessing the service, ensuring appropriate support was provided when needed, reducing levels of suicidal risk.
• The Student Wellbeing team reported an increase in confidence to recognise and respond to suicidal distress.