RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation 1
2.28 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
government commission a detailed independent economic assessment of the cost of
suicide and attempted suicide in Australia, for example by the Productivity
Commission.
Recommendation 2
3.3 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments, in consultation with the National Committee
for Standardised Reporting on Suicide, implement reforms to improve the
accuracy of suicide statistics.
Recommendation 3
3.63 The Committee recommends that the Standing
Committee of Attorneys-General, in consultation with the National Committee for
Standardised Reporting on Suicide, standardise coronial legislation and
practices to improve the accurate reporting of suicide.
Recommendation 4
3.65 The Committee recommends all Australian
governments implement a standardised national police form for the collection of
information regarding a death reported to a coroner.
Recommendation 5
3.66 The Committee recommends that the
Commonwealth, State and Territory governments enable timely distribution of
suicide data from coroners' offices regarding suicides to allow early
notification of emerging suicide clusters to public health authorities and
community organisations.
Recommendation 6
3.67 The Committee recommends that State and
Territory governments provide additional resources and training to staff in
coronial offices to assist in the accurate and timely recording of mortality
data.
Recommendation 7
3.69 The Committee recommends the National
Committee for Standardisation of Reporting on Suicide liaise with peak
insurance and financial associations, such as the Insurance Council of
Australia, regarding exclusionary conditions in contracts which may deter the
reporting of suicides.
Recommendation 8
4.78 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments ensure that staff in primary care, law
enforcement and emergency services receive mandatory and customised suicide
risk assessment, prevention and awareness training as part of their initial
training and ongoing professional development.
Recommendation 9
4.79 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments mandate that hospital emergency departments
maintain at least one person with mental health training and capacity to
conduct suicide risk assessments at all times.
Recommendation 10
4.80 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments review debriefing procedures and counselling
support available to frontline workers regularly exposed to suicide and
attempted suicide related incidents.
Recommendation 11
4.82 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments establish mandatory procedures to provide
follow up support to persons who have been in psychiatric care, have been
treated following an attempted suicide or who are assessed as being at risk of
suicide.
Recommendation 12
4.84 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments provide funding for programs to identify and
link agencies and services involved in the care of persons at risk of suicide.
These programs should aim to implement agreements and protocols between police,
hospitals, mental health services, telephone crisis support services and
community organisations and to improve:
- awareness
by different personnel of suicide prevention roles and expectations; and
- handover
procedures and continuity of care for persons at risk of suicide.
Recommendation 13
4.86 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments provide additional funding for graded
accommodation options for people at risk of suicide and people with severe
mental illness.
Recommendation 14
4.88 The Committee recommends that the Australian
governments oblige health care staff to offer prior consent agreements, such as
advance health directives and standing medical powers of attorney, to patients
at risk of suicide.
Recommendation 15
4.91 The Committee recommends that Commonwealth,
State and Territory governments provide accredited suicide prevention training
to all 'front line' staff, including those in heath care, law enforcement,
corrections, social security, employment services, family and child services,
education and aged care.
Recommendation 16
4.94 The Committee recommends that the National
Suicide Prevention Strategy promote and provide increased access for community
organisation and the general community to appropriate suicide prevention
training programs.
Recommendation 17
5.92 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
government fund a national suicide prevention and awareness campaign that
provides information to all Australians about the risks and misconceptions of
suicide, and advice on how to seek and provide help for those who may be
dealing with these issues. This campaign should utilise a range of media,
including television, radio, print and online, and other methods of
dissemination in order to best reach the maximum possible audience. This
campaign should also create links with efforts to alleviate other public health
and social issues, such as mental health, homelessness, and alcohol and drug
use.
Recommendation 18
5.93 The Committee recommends that the development
of a national suicide prevention and awareness campaign should recognise the
risks of normalising and glamorising suicide, and draw on wide consultation
with stakeholders and a solid evidence base.
Recommendation 19
5.94 The Committee recommends that a national
suicide prevention and awareness campaign, once developed, should operate for
at least 5 years, and with adequate and sustained resources. This should
include the provision of additional resources, support and suicide awareness
training for health care professionals.
Recommendation 20
5.100 The Committee recommends that the Mindframe
guidelines and current media practices for the reporting of suicide are
reviewed. Research should be undertaken to determine the most appropriate ways
to better inform the Australian public about suicide through the media,
including mainstream news reporting, as well as through internet and social
networking sites.
Recommendation 21
5.101 The Committee recommends that national figures
on suicide should be released to the Australian public, at a minimum,
biannually, in an effort to raise community awareness about suicide, and should
be provided together with information about available services and support.
Recommendation 22
5.105 The Committee recommends that a national suicide
prevention and awareness campaign should include a targeted approach to
high-risk groups, in particular young people, people in rural and remote areas,
men, Indigenous populations, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex
people and the culturally and linguistically diverse communities. This approach
should include the provision of culturally sensitive and appropriate
information and services.
Recommendation 23
6.127 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
government ensure telecommunications providers provide affordable access to
telephone and online counselling services from mobile and wireless devices.
Recommendation 24
6.129 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
government commission an implementation study for a national toll-free crisis
support telephone service to assist those at risk of suicide.
Recommendation 25
6.132 The Committee recommends that the National
Suicide Prevention Program include funding for projects to reduce access to
means of suicide and prevention measures at identified 'suicide hotspots'.
These interventions should be evidence based and in accordance with agreed
guidelines.
Recommendation 26
6.134 The Committee recommends that the National
Suicide Prevention Program should increase the funding and number of projects
targeting men at risk of suicide.
Recommendation 27
6.137 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
governments develop a separate suicide prevention strategy for Indigenous
communities within the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. This should
include programs to rapidly implement postvention services to Indigenous
communities following a suicide to reduce the risk of further suicides
occurring.
Recommendation 28
6.141 The Committee recommends that the Australian
Bureau of Statistics and other public agencies which collect health data record
and track completed suicides and attempted suicides of those under 15 years of
age.
Recommendation 29
6.143 The Committee recommends that targeted
programs be developed to provide community support group assistance for people
who have attempted suicide and those who self harm.
Recommendation 30
6.145 The Committee recommends that additional
resources be provided by Commonwealth, State and Territory governments to
mental health services. These services are recognised as functioning to reduce
the rate of suicide and attempted suicide in Australia.
Recommendation 31
6.147 The Committee recommends that additional
'gatekeeper' suicide awareness and risk assessment training be directed to
people living in regional, rural and remote areas.
Recommendation 32
6.149 The Committee recommends that lesbian, gay
bisexual, transgender and intersex people be recognised as a higher risk group
in suicide prevention strategies, policies and programs, and that funding for
targeted approaches to assist these groups be developed.
Recommendation 33
6.151 The Committee recommends that the
Commonwealth, State and Territory governments together with community
organisations implement a national suicide bereavement strategy.
Recommendation 34
6.153 The Committee recommends the development of a
National Suicide Prevention Program initiative targeting assistance to people
recently released from correctional services.
Recommendation 35
7.35 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
government provide funding in the National Suicide Prevention Program for
research projects into suicide prevention, including detailed evaluations of
suicide prevention intervention.
Recommendation 36
7.39 The Committee recommends the Commonwealth
government, as part of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, create a
suicide prevention resource centre to collect and disseminate research and best
practice regarding suicide prevention.
Recommendation 37
8.57 The Committee recommends that following
extensive consultation with community stakeholders and service providers, the
next National Suicide Prevention Strategy include a formal signatory commitment
as well as an appropriate allocation of funding through the Council of
Australian Governments.
Recommendation 38
8.60 The Committee recommends that an independent
evaluation of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy should assess the
benefits of a new governance and accountability structure external to
government.
Recommendation 39
8.64 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
government double, at a minimum, the public funding of the National Suicide
Prevention Strategy, with further increases to be considered as the research
and evaluation of suicide prevention interventions develops.
Recommendation 40
8.65 The Committee recommends that the
Commonwealth, State and Territory governments should facilitate the
establishment of a Suicide Prevention Foundation to raise funding from
government, business, community and philanthropic sources and to direct these
resources to priority areas of suicide prevention awareness, research, advocacy
and services.
Recommendation 41
8.67 The Committee recommends that, where
appropriate, the National Suicide Prevention Program provide funding to projects
in longer cycles to assist the success and stability of projects for clients
and employees.
Recommendation 42
8.69 The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
government as part of a national strategy with State, Territory and local
governments for suicide prevention set an aspirational target for the reduction
of suicide by the year 2020.
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