Oral Presentation (max 20 mins) National Suicide Prevention Conference 2025

Building on Aboriginal Communities' Resilience Initiative: suicide prevention and Aboriginal community led service delivery (#18)

Kerry Smith 1 , Casey Naden 1 , Lachlan Madden 1
  1. Mental Health, St Leonards, NSW, Australia

Building on Aboriginal Communities’ Cultural Resilience (BACR) is an Initiative jointly funded by the Ministry of Health under both Closing the Gap and Towards Zero Suicides. The Initiative funds 25 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) across NSW to deliver culturally centred and community led suicide prevention and social and emotional wellbeing activities. The Initiative is a partnership between the NSW Ministry of Health, the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW (AH&MRC) and the participating ACCHOs. This paper will speak to different ways that these ACCHOS are building community resilience within the suicide prevention space drawing on innovative and culturally centred approaches to care. 

Whilst showcasing the important work that these ACCHOS are doing within the suicide prevention and social and emotional wellbeing space, it is important to acknowledge that these issues do not occur in a vacuum and there is a need for systemic change. The Ministry of Health is committed to Closing the Gap Priority Reform Three: Transforming Government Organisations. The BACR Initiative is working towards this by:

 

  • ensuring that the funded programs are led by the ACCHOS around community needs as determined by community.
  • By reducing the reporting burden placed on ACCHOS
  • Ensuring the reporting moves beyond KPIs and financial auditing to understand the broader social and cultural determinants of program success.

 

Through yarning, the Aboriginal Mental Health team are better able to understand issues that impact multiple communities and advocate at the state and federal level for greater consideration of the social determinants of health for Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal Mental Health unit believe that in order to build Aboriginal communities’ resilience within the suicide prevention space Aboriginal perspectives must be embedded within both the activities that the ACCHOS are funded for as well as broader policy.