Current lived experience engagement projects

The Movember Institute invited men to take part in an online group discussion to talk about some of the key topics to ultimately address premature mortality in men (almost 40% of Australian men die prior to age 75), sharing from their experiences of men’s mental health and men’s engagement, or lack of engagement, with health services. The insights and advice provided will inform the Institute’s planning and program of work for the coming years.

The University of Melbourne, in collaboration with Safer Care Victoria, is engaging individuals with lived experience to develop an evaluation plan for the Zero Suicide Framework. This initiative aims to create a comprehensive strategy that assesses the framework’s effectiveness and impact, ensuring it meets the needs and expectations of those affected by suicide and enhancing suicide prevention efforts overall.

Relationships Australia is hosting a public webinar program in August focusing on Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, specifically exploring the impact of male lived experience on relationships. The webinar aims to shed light on how personal experiences with suicide and mental health challenges among men can influence their relationships and broader community interactions.

Black Dog Institute utilised the Lived Experience Collective to develop video content for Module 4 of the Suicide Prevention Capacity Building Program, focusing on depicting lived experience of suicide and providing considerations for organisations and community members to successfully engage and integrate lived experience.

LGBTIQA+SB lived experience communities are taking action!

LGBTIQA+SB suicide prevention needs to be on everyone’s agenda, yet our lived experiences and our leadership is still not being recognised. Our communities deserve better. Together, we are changing the agenda.

Switchboard Victoria is developing a national Declaration of LGBTQIA+SB Lived Experience Leadership in Suicide Prevention (the Declaration).

The Declaration is a document that individuals, healthcare organisations and governments can sign onto, to make a commitment to safe suicide prevention service delivery for LGBTQIA+SB people at all levels of healthcare.

As part of developing the Declaration we are running 10 co-design sessions with intersectional community members starting in September, and we need you to get involved!

We are looking for diverse LGBTQIA+SB people with lived experiences of suicide. Every LGBTQIA+SB person has a unique story to tell and we want to include the perspectives and experiences of people from intersecting parts of community.

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Lend your lived experience voice to Monash University’s study in Aged Care.

Researchers from Monash University and the National Ageing Research Institute are conducting a study in aged care. They want to know more about how to support people in aged care with poor mental health or suicidal thinking.

If you are over 70 with a lived experience of suicide and/or experience of aged care (including home help through to residential aged care) or family members of people using aged care services, please register your expression of interest to Ellen Gaffy at [email protected] or scan the QR code on the flyer below.

North Queensland Primary Health Network established a Lived Experience Advisory Group to participate in the co-design and implementation of the Distress Brief Support within the Tablelands Region.

North Queensland Primary Health Network sought two external tender assessment panel members with a lived experience of suicide on the tender panels for the Suicide Prevention Response for greater Cairns, Townsville & Mackay regions.

This Suicide Prevention Response will support people within those regions who are at a higher risk of suicide access stepped care services, and their care team.

‘Co-Creating Safe Spaces’ is a national research project looking at safe spaces for people experiencing emotional distress. ANU Centre for Mental Health Research has partnered with Roses in the Ocean, Black Dog Institute, Macquarie University, the University of Wollongong, and the steering committees implementing the six safe spaces in the research project.

North Queensland Primary Health Network partnered with local Hospital and Health Services to commission a Universal Aftercare program for Mackay and Townsville. The program is designed to help people who have attempted suicide or are at imminent risk to engage with psychosocial and clinical supports, recover from a crisis and enhance social and community support connections to reduce the risk of subsequent suicide attempt. North Queensland Primary Health Network sought the inclusion of people with a lived experience of suicide to the procurement and tender process for each region.

Roses in the Ocean was delighted to collaborate with the Queensland Mental Health Commission for the design of a whole-of-government, whole-of-community trauma strategy for Queensland. Development of the strategy is in response to Recommendation 6 of the Mental Health Select Committee Inquiry into the opportunities to improve mental health outcomes for Queenslanders.

Inspired to create a documentary highlighting hormonal mental health and suicidality, film-maker Laurie Ritchie sought the insights of people with a lived experience of suicide, with a significant emphasis on perimenopause and menopause. This project actively sought to involve both men and women from the Lived Experience Collective as frontline support systems for their female family and friends navigating the challenges, aiming to provide a holistic view of support and understanding during this transitional phase of life.

Black Dog Institute utilised the Lived Experience Collective to develop video content for Module 4 of the Suicide Prevention Capacity Building Program, focusing on depicting lived experience of suicide and providing considerations for organisations and community members to successfully engage and integrate lived experience.

Following the input received during Monash University’s LE Summit 2023 workshop ‘Embedding Lived Experience into Suicide Prevention Education at Universities’, Roses in the Ocean recruited for a expert content review from people with a lived experience of suicide to contribute towards the development of the Master of Applied Mental Health Suicide Prevention and Support Unit.

Roses in the Ocean has compiled a response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Consultation Paper with the proposition of a new entity to promote the wellbeing of Defence members and Veterans. The members from the Lived Experience Collective with military background were consulted and their insights included in Roses in the Ocean’s response.

North Queensland PHN recruited two LE Representative roles per region for the procurement and tender process for establishing Universal Aftercare in Townsville & Mackay.

The LE Representatives joined with North Queensland PHN and Health & Hospital Service staff from late January 2024 to be involved in a variety of activities related to the procurement process. This process includes reviewing tender applications, interviewing of service providers, consensus meetings and any other activities as part of the procurement process until the successful applicant selection is completed and the service is stood up in July 2024.

‘Co-Creating Safe Spaces’ is national research project looking at safe spaces for people experiencing emotional distress. The project, led by Australian National University Centre for Mental Health Research, is run by a team of researchers from both academic and non-research backgrounds, working with health and community service professionals, peer workers, and lived experience advocates.

Partners of the research project are Roses in the Ocean, Black Dog Institute, Macquarie University, the University of Wollongong, and the steering committees implementing the six safe spaces in the research project.

The Victorian Government was looking for LGBTIQA+ people in Victoria who have attempted suicide or experience suicidal behaviour to help design a new mental health service, specifically an aftercare service for LGBTIQA+ people (including young people, adults and older adults).

This project was being led by Victorian Department of Health in collaboration with Impact Co. The steering committee is chaired by Switchboard Victoria and has membership from Roses in the Ocean, VMIAC, Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC), and Tandem.

We invited LGBTIQA+ people in Victoria who have a lived, or living experience, of suicidality to have their say about this service. This includes people who are bereaved by suicide, or who have been a carer of someone experiencing a suicidal crisis.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has engaged the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to undertake a scoping study for the design and development of national minimum standards for Safe Space services.

We’re seeking your views in an online consultation on the safety and quality expectations for Safe Space services.

These consultations will build on previous work in this space, including interviews with relevant stakeholders from across the suicide prevention and health sectors.

At the end of the consultations, the Commission will provide a report to the Department on options for national standards for Safe Space services and an associated accreditation framework.

For more information and to view the full discussion paper here.

Consultation times and dates:

29 August | 12:00pm – 2:00pm
29 August | 4:30pm – 6:30pm
30 August | 12:00pm – 2:00pm
31 August | 4:30pm – 6:30pm
5 September | 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Register for a Consultation

Researchers at Everymind are seeking partners, spouses, family members, friends and colleagues across Australia who are supporting the mental health of paramedics to trial a new free online program.

The new research project is designed to support paramedics experiencing any symptoms of mental ill-health or suicidal distress.

Where: Australia-wide (online)

More Info

What: In partnership with the University of Melbourne, we are seeking men with a lived experience of suicide to be a part of the Lived Experience Advisory for the Buoy Project – which is all about preventing suicide in boys and men.

Where: Australia-wide (online)

More Info

What: The National Suicide Prevention Office (NSPO) has commissioned the University of Melbourne team to prepare a blueprint paper called Understanding Suicide.

The blueprint paper will inform the direction and scope of the NSPO and will answer two key questions:

• How can we more clearly define self-harm and suicidal behaviours?
• What should we be doing to prevent them?

We are putting together a lived experience advisory group to guide the project.

Where: Australia-wide

What: Are you an ex-serving Defence member who has had contact with Queensland emergency services during a suicide crisis?
OR
Are you a family member of an ex-serving Defence member who has had contact with Queensland emergency services during the veteran’s suicide crisis?

The Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation (GMRF) aims to explore the lived experiences of ex-serving Defence members who have been involved in a suicide-related call to emergency services, in addition to examining the experiences of their family and emergency services.

Where: Australia-wide (online study)

More Info + Expressions of Interest

What: A speaker to say a few words on the importance that positive engagement can have on a person in a moment of crisis for Queensland Rail’s R U Ok Day event.

When: 27 April, 2023

What: Recruiting 3 young people with a lived experience of suicide for a webinar which will center around youth lived experience inclusion in research from the standpoint of how to empower young people, create opportunities to meaningfully engage and contribute to research, as well as to provide some practical guidance to researchers on how to enable youth inclusion.

What: Beyond Blue are updating their ‘Beyond Now’ explainer video, for viewing on televisions in GP waiting rooms and they’re hoping to gain insight and feedback from individuals with lived experience of suicide to ensure the video is fit for this purpose, that the content is appropriate and resonates, and to consider any potential barriers/enablers to discussing safety planning with a GP.

Where: Australia-wide (online)

This opportunity has now closed.

What: Everymind is currently recruiting participants for a number of focus groups exploring communications through the use of imagery and language regarding mental health and wellbeing, mental illness, suicide, self-harm and alcohol and drug use. Participants will be asked to share their views about safe, inclusive, and non-stigmatising public representations of mental health issues, suicidal behaviour and alcohol and other drugs.

A diverse range of participants are being sought for this research, with a particular focus on people with professional or personal experience of suicide.

Where: Australia-wide (online)

More info