Federal Government puts $1 million into UWA and Telethon Kids Institute’s Expand WA suicide prevention project

Western Australians as young as 10 who present to hospital after a suicide attempt will be given better access to aftercare through a Perth project that has received more than $1 million in Federal funding. As part of a $2.5 million package to improve support for Australians in a suicide crisis, the Morrison Government today announced it would provide the University of WA and Telethon Kids Institute $1.28 million over three years for their project, Expaand WA. The project will focus on improving aftercare services among young people aged 10 to 17 who present to hospital with self-harm or suicidal crisis in Perth, Albany and Geraldton trial sites. Aftercare refers to services offered to people following a suicide attempt, ranging from counselling to housing support. The time between presentation to emergency departments and discharge is a period of increased risk for later suicide, making aftercare vital for preventing patients from attempting suicide again. Expaand WA will also trial culturally-appropriate aftercare options for Indigenous Australians, who have proportionally higher suicide rates than non-Indigenous people. In 2019, suicide accounted for 5.7 per of all deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, while the comparable proportion for non-Indigenous Australians was 1.9 per cent, according to the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Government was committed to trying to end suicide in Australia and supporting prevention initiatives. “This is why we’re investing $289.1 million in the 2021-22 Budget into suicide prevention, recognising the devastating impact suicide continues to have on Australian families and communities,” he said. Expaand WA will run over the next three years, upskilling the workforce at each of the chosen hospital sites and investigating what elements of aftercare are the most effective. Telethon Kids Institute Research Fellow in Youth Suicide Prevention Dr Nicole Hill said there had been a “significant increase” in young people presenting to hospital after self harm or suicide attempts in the past 12 months. “A huge component of it is extensive waitlist times, often they (the young people) are funnelled into the emergency department,” she told The West Australian Dr Hill said previous studies had shown taking part in aftercare services was one of the key factors in preventing further attempts and decreased the likelihood of a returning to emergency departments due to self harm by up to 70 percent. Chief investigator and UWA Associate Professor Ashleigh Lin said it was hoped the project would have a long-lasting affect on suicide rates in the WA. “We want to make a real impact on child suicide in State,” she said. According to Lifeline, an average of one person a day took their own life in WA in 2019, with the worst-affected between the ages of 15 to 19 years old. Lifeline 13 11 14