Community Wellness and Suicide Prevention Grants

Community Wellness and Suicide Prevention Grants is a grant program from the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) that funds grassroots wellness and suicide prevention initiatives in northern Queensland, Australia. Based on extensive community consultations with over 250 people, NQPHN awards grants ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 to both established initiatives and new ideas.

Organizations can apply under two categories: Project Ready for developed initiatives, and Project Pitch for organizations with ideas needing capacity building support. Grant recipients also receive access to a Project Coaching scheme. Eligible applicants must be incorporated organizations with an ABN, separate bank account, GST registration, and appropriate insurances, with an existing presence in the NQPHN region.

Community wellness and suicide prevention grants – Northern Queensland Primary Health Network Community wellness and suicide prevention grants In 2023 and 2024, NQPHN conducted consultations with over 250 people across northern Queensland, uncovering a range of grassroots community wellness and suicide prevention initiatives. These programs demonstrated clear impact and could benefit from additional support and funding.

In response, NQPHN launched a grants round and thirteen grants, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, were awarded to both established initiatives and new ideas, with added coaching to support project development. Organisations could apply for: Project Ready : For developed initiatives. Project Pitch : For organisations with a great idea that need support or capacity building to make it project-ready.

Grant recipients awarded this grant will also have access to the Project Coaching scheme developed by NQPHN. These grants are designed to fund innovative projects, rather than traditional service delivery.

Northern Peninsula Area Men’s Group The Fire Project by Harbrow Mentoring No Boundaries Health & Osteopathy Women Veterans Network Australia Townsville Indigenous Men’s Alliance (supported by Upper Ross Child Care Centre) Add Nature Project by Mackay Advocacy Inc Learn more about the grant recipients On 7 and 8 May 2024, the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) hosted three information sessions regarding Community wellness and suicide prevention grant process.

Below, you will find the presentation that was shared, along with a summary of all questions asked during these sessions and their corresponding answers: Community wellness and suicide prevention presentation Community wellness and suicide prevention FAQ What was not in scope for the grants? Sponsorship of discrete events or activities. A grant being made available for activities that are otherwise already funded.

Direct service provision to community members, unless you can clearly demonstrate how service provision will be sustained beyond the life of the funding. Learn more about community wellness? Wellness can be considered as ‘a positive state experienced by individuals and societies.

Like health, it is a daily resource determined by social, economic and environmental conditions. A person’s wellness can be influenced by environmental, social, and economic factors at the individual, family and community level, and each person’s unique circumstances and experiences contribute to their wellbeing.

Wellness is multidimensional, covering aspects of life including housing, income, work and job quality, health, knowledge and skills, civic engagement, social connections, safety, and work-life-balance. Learn more about suicide prevention?

Suicide prevention is the effort to reduce deaths by suicide, suicide attempts across all levels of society and create a supportive environment for the broader community and those with a lived experience of suicide. This includes individuals, communities, and entire nations. It focuses on promoting wellbeing and overall health for both individuals and society.

Just like physical health, mental wellbeing is a resource that helps us navigate daily life. Suicide prevention works on many levels and aims to address many factors including social, economic, opportunities, and the environment we live in. Who are the priority communities?

Consultation undertaken by NQPHN throughout 2023 and 2024 identified 11 specific priority population groups that need to be prioritised in local regional efforts. These are not listed in order of importance.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Culturally and linguistically diverse communities and refugees People experiencing homelessness or housing instability Children and young people, including those in out-of-home care Older Australians (over 65, or over 50 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) People living in regional, rural, and remote areas of Australia People experiencing or at risk of abuse and violence, including sexual abuse, neglect and family and domestic violence Australian Defence Force members and veterans People experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage Find out more at Life in Mind What are the social determinants of suicide?

In 2023, Suicide Prevention Australia produced the Socio-Economic and Environmental Determinants of Suicide paper, which detailed 22 social determinants of suicide. Nineteen of the 22 are applicable to the desired outcome of these grants.

Chronic pain and health conditions Damage to cultural continuity/connection Discrimination and stigma Domestic, family, and sexual violence Family and other relationship dysfunction Harms of alcohol and other drugs Housing insecurity and homelessness Impacts of adverse childhood experiences Impacts of traumatic events Intergenerational/transgenerational trauma What is lived experience and why is it important?

“People with a lived experience of suicide” is defined as “those who have experienced thoughts of suicide, survived a suicide attempt, cared for someone through suicidal crisis, been bereaved by suicide and/or having a loved one who has died through suicide.

It is important to acknowledge that this understanding and experience may be different for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and suggest that suicidal crisis, thoughts, behaviours and/or actions stem from the breakdown in social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual wellbeing. People with lived experience and their families and carers must be at the centre of the next phase of reform.

Success requires their voices at the forefront to lead, drive and inform systems and services, with a greater focus on integrating their lived experience into policy, practice, and research. Elevating the diverse voices of our communities, particularly those who are currently underserved, is essential.

These include young people, older people, First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+SB people, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, veterans and their families, and people living in rural and remote areas.

Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Mental Health Stepped Care Mental Health Stepped Care Services Review Psychological Therapies in RACH Community wellness and suicide prevention grants Medicare Mental Health Centre Initial Assessment and Referral – Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) Socio-economic and Environmental Determinants of Suicide Community wellness and suicide prevention grants presentation Community wellness and suicide prevention grants FAQ