Suicide Prevention Australia’s Lived Experience Policy Advisory CommitteeFlick Grey, member

Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA): some backgroundHistory: began in 1992 as a voice

for small number of individuals and organisations committed to suicide prevention and bereavement support

Today is the national peak body for the suicide prevention sector; broad based

Vision: “a world without suicide”Mission: “to make suicide

prevention everybody’s business”

3 of SPA’s 9 principles for suicide prevention1. “Suicide and suicidal behaviour arise

from complex social, situational, biological and other individual causes …”

2. “Suicide prevention is ‘everyone’s business’ …”

3. “The first person voices of those with lived experience of suicide are crucial to increasing understanding of suicide and effective suicide prevention responses.”

The case for a Lived Experience committee“The experience, knowledge and

expertise of people with lived experience of suicide has the capacity to inform and generate improved policy, service delivery and outcomes for suicide prevention across Australia. Principles underlying this include:◦The right of people who are impacted by

policy to have input into its design;◦The value to policy and practice of the

unique knowledge and perspectives of people who have life experiences.”

Selection processLived experience of suicide, self-defined,

including but is not limited to:◦ Those who have survived a suicide attempt◦ Those who have previously been suicidal◦ Those who have self-harmed◦ Those who have been bereaved by suicide◦ Those who have cared for a suicidal person◦ Those who have been personally impacted by the

suicide or attempted suicide of another.Self-nominatedSelection: by SPA and an independent

adjudicator, “according to their knowledge, willingness and ability to contribute to the objectives of the committee.”

Snapshot of members110+ applications, 11 members selectedIncludes people who have themselves

attempted suicide; people bereaved by suicide of loved ones and carers of people who have been suicidal (many of us are in multiple positions!)

Ages range from early 20s to “old”Geographically dispersedPeople who have set up NGOs, who work or

volunteer in the sector, have management backgrounds, psych training, and many who don’t

Diverse but not “representative”

My own positionalityResource Co-ordinator at Our Consumer

Place (OCP) – working with Merinda Epstein◦ a resource centre run entirely by people with a

lived experience of ‘mental illness’ (consumers)◦ critical value of lived experience and consumer

leadership◦ Expert Reference Group on Borderline Personality

DisorderMultiple suicide attempts & chronic

suicidalityVolunteer Lifeline TCSBereaved by a close friend who suicided last

year

The function and role of the committee Diversity of expertise, rather than

“representative” Well-resourced:

◦ both in terms of expertise and passion from the group ◦ and the capacity of SPA to provide support

Two-way initiative: ◦ issues and opportunities to be identified by SPA ◦ or by committee members, ◦ for the attention of SPA or the committee

Our own meetings + reviewing SPA materials + speaking on behalf of SPA + providing advice to partner organisations

No remuneration, but reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses

Our first meetingIntroduced ourselvesMeeting bi-monthly: initially 3

monthlyDiscussion topics:

◦Name and scope of the committee◦Missing perspectives and how to

address (“representation”)◦Upcoming networking opportunities

for us to network with each other◦Suicide/self-harm: discussed complex

relationship between suicide and self-harm

Where to from here?Energy and scope for more

than minimal participation (original conception of quarterly meetings)

Evolution expected: objectives kept broad so that the committee can evolve

… Our future is unknown!