Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Australia. What happens in the moments after a suicide crisis or suicide attempt is crucial. Join us to learn how innovative aftercare programs for children and young people are reshaping the landscape of suicide prevention, and how evaluation is an important tool in working together towards a better mental health and suicide prevention system for children and young people.
Youth suicide is a significant issue in Australia, being a leading cause of death for those aged 10-17. Suicide prevention initiatives, crisis response, and postvention support are crucial in reducing youth suicides.
The 2022 National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement introduced universal aftercare commitments. That is, anyone who presents to a hospital, GP or other government service following an attempt should receive aftercare service support to reduce the likelihood of further suicide attempts and death. Aftercare programs for children and young people up to 25 provide intensive, wrap-around, community-based support for those in suicidal crisis.
Two aftercare services for children and young people in Australia are the i.am/Youth Aftercare program (NSW) and the Child & Youth HOPE program (Victoria)—both funded through state-level suicide prevention strategies. Join independent evaluators as they reflect on their experiences evaluating these two Services. The session will cover evaluation methods used and key learnings from both evaluations. We will discuss issues such as:
The session will demonstrate how evaluation contributes to improving mental health and suicide prevention approaches for children and young people.
By sharing these insights, we aim to work together towards enhancing mental health and suicide prevention services for children and young people in need, as we all move towards tomorrow together.