New grants for suicide prevention programs

Community groups are being invited to apply for funding of up to $10,000 under a new round of grants for suicide prevention.

Mental Health Minister Helen Morton today announced the State Government had allocated $300,000 for community grants to support suicide prevention activities and mental health training. This new round of funding is part of the Western Australian Suicide Prevention Strategy.

“Approximately one person dies by suicide every day in WA and the devastation this causes is deeply felt throughout the community,” Mrs Morton said.

“I urge local drug action groups and local government authorities to join other community organisations in applying for grants of up to $10,000.

“We are hoping to build on the considerable community engagement already achieved through One Life WA, which saw 45 communities work together to build Community Action Plans .

“These initiatives were well-attended and engaged a broad cross-section of the community, which is exactly what we set out to achieve with the WA Suicide Prevention Strategy.”

Of the $3million in funding allocated in the 2014-15 State Budget for suicide prevention, $1million will support mental health and suicide prevention training for about 600 people in local communities across the State.

It will also build on partnerships already formed with the West Australian Football Commission and Netball WA to promote universal suicide prevention awareness.

The remaining $2million will consolidate and increase the capacity of the Response to Self-Harm and Suicides in Schools program. This includes additional specialist staff to support young people at risk.

The Minister said the Western Australian Suicide Prevention Strategy 2009 – 2013 was being evaluated to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.

“It is expected that once the evaluation is complete, a new strategy will be developed to provide further direction and vision for the future,” she said.