Welcome to the February edition of the TSPCN news!

In this issue:

• Network updates
• Member News
• Events, Opportunities & Training
• Grant Opportunities
• Resources & Support
• Have your say

Welcome to 2024! I hope everyone has had the opportunity to enjoy some of our summer sunshine. Michael Kelly (TSPCN Chair) is enjoying an extended summer holiday, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the second edition of our quarterly newsletter.

A lot of network members would have come across Ben Hirst. Ben left the RA Tas team in December to take up a role at the Mental Health Council of Tasmania, where he will coordinate the implementation of the Peer Workforce Strategy which supports the growth of a sustainable lived experience workforce in Tasmania. Ben’s role at RA Tas has been replaced by Kristy Harrold. 

The team are currently working on the 19^th Annual LiFE Awards to be held on the 21 March 2024. These awards acknowledge and celebrate the great work happening in suicide prevention across Tasmania. The Awards are followed by the Suicide Prevention Forum, which is always an inspirational day of connection and learning.

March is a busy month for connection, with Neighbour Day on the 31^st March.  Neighbour Day is the National Day of Action as part of the year-round Neighbours Every Day campaign. This campaign encourages people across all communities to connect to increase belonging and reduce loneliness. Recognising the importance of social connections and the difference neighborly actions can make to someone’s life. Read more on this below.

Finally, I’d like to thank TSPCN members for engaging in our newsletter. Through collaboration and shared purpose, we can work together towards our goal of a world without suicide. If you’d like to contribute to our next quarterly newsletter, please submit your articles, stories, or ideas to us using our email address tspcn@reltas.com.au or the ‘Have your Say’ link at the bottom of the newsletter. 

Mel,
Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Community Network (TSPCN) Deputy Chair

Please join us for the first Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Community Network (TSPCN) meeting of 2024! The TSPCN meeting will be held at the Ulverstone Surf Life Saving Club from 12:30pm-3pm on Tuesday 20 February. We'll kick off with networking and a light lunch at 12:30pm, with the official meeting starting at 1pm.  

We are excited to have the following guest speakers sharing at the meeting:

• Ben Hughes from The Men's Table 
• Jenny Rowden & Lenny Wilson from The Rookery & Penguin Community Op-Shop
• Al Brown & Marcus McCrae from the Department of Health; Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Directorate

We hope to see you there! 

Interested in what was discussed at the previous meeting in Launceston? You can read previous meeting minutes on the Suicide Prevention Tas website. 

The LiFE Awards nominations for 2024 have wrapped up, and we're thrilled to announce that we've received 30 fantastic high-quality nominations spanning the state. These nominations spotlight the invaluable contributions made in Suicide Prevention in Tasmania.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who took the time to submit nominations this year. If you are keen to learn more about each of the nominees, then check out our Facebook page where we are sharing stories about each of them. 

The external independent judging panel has met and carefully considered each nomination across the five categories, choosing deserving winners for each.

For those fortunate enough to be nominated, an exclusive invitation awaits you for the award ceremony on Thursday, 21st March 2024, in Hobart. It promises to be an extraordinary evening dedicated to celebrating the remarkable work done in this important space.

If you didn't get a chance to participate this year, no worries! Start pondering who deserves recognition for the 2025 LiFE Awards. Your thoughtful nominations play a vital role in acknowledging and appreciating valued contributions.

Don't miss out on the 2024 Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Forum! Over 60% of tickets are already sold!

Join us on Friday, 22nd March 2024, at Crowne Plaza, Hobart, for a day dedicated to Championing Change. From engaging workshops to insightful speakers like Clare Kinsella and Mitch McPherson, the forum promises to empower and educate. Act now and secure your spot - full registration is $99, concession is $49 and TSPCN members enjoy a 10% discount using the code: TSPCNMEMBER. 

We hope to see you there! 

Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy (2023 - 2027)
The new Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy 2023-2027: Compassion and Connection (TSPS) is a five-year plan aimed at developing a compassionate and connected community working together to prevent suicide in Tasmania. The TSPS is being implemented through 3 sequential implementation plans.

In March 2023 we released the first implementation plan (IP) which covers the period January 2023–June 2024. We are in the process of developing a progress report against the 81 action items identified under IP1, and we will publish the report on our NEW and dedicated suicide prevention page on the Department of Health Tasmania website (coming soon!).

We have started planning for IP2 which will inform key implementation actions for June 2024 - 2025.

Whilst details on consultations are yet to be established, if you would like to be contacted directly about opportunities to take part in consultation session to inform future IP’s, we would encourage you to email your contact details to director.mhadd@health.tas.gov.au.

Update following the Launceston TSPCN meeting - held on 14/11/2023
It was our pleasure to attend the November TCPCN meeting in Launceston, where we sought input on two Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy (TSPS) projects; Distress Brief Support and the Male Friendly Health Services Checklist.

Distress Brief Support
The Department of Health continues to work with Everymind and the Tasmanian Culture Care Connect program to develop a new service for Tasmania to support people in the early stages of distress.

Two phases of consultation will support the project. Phase 1 consultation closed on Wednesday 31 January 2024 and was aimed at understanding the supports currently available for people and the gaps across the system.

Phase 2 co-design is scheduled for February – March 2024. The Department will be seeking your views to help us understand what should be included in an early distress support service for Tasmania. Invitations to participate in co-design of the service will be released shortly.

For more information, please email Al Brown - Principal Policy Officer and Suicide Prevention Coordinator DoH. al.brown@health.tas.gov.au

Male Focused Checklist
The TSPS commits to the development of a checklist which defines the features of a male friendly health service, and implementation of the checklist in the Tasmanian Health Service (THS).

Based on current literature and best practice, the checklist will help ensure that services are promoted, structured and appropriate for male users. Feedback gained through the TSPCN has been incorporated, and further consultations are being hosted to further hone the checklist.

TSPCN members were provided the opportunity to read the draft checklist and provide input on focus areas and considerations from members.

Key themes identified within the consultation has been incorporated into the next iteration of the checklist.

Working and Advisory Groups
The next round of specialist working groups under the Premiers Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Council are scheduled to meet in March 2024. Following these sessions, we will circulate communiques for each working and advisory group which outlines current areas of focus.

Take a minute is designed to empower Tasmanians to take charge of their mental health and wellbeing.

Research shows us that taking a proactive, preventative approach to your mental health can help you live a happier, healthier, more productive and fulfilling life. That’s what Take a minute is all about!

Take a minute helps us to make a connection between the good things that we already have in our lives – the people, the places, activities and the things that bring us joy and the impact these have on our mental wellbeing.

Find out more and take the 7 minute challenge at takeaminute.com.au or get in touch with one of the project officers: John (South) jmcnamara@mhct.org or Amanda (North and North West) aaitken@mhct.org

Men Care Too were featured recently in the Advocate newspaper (Thursday, January 11 2024). The article, written by Jess Flint, discusses the importance of connections and the fact that it's a myth that men don't talk. 

Rural Alive & Well (RAW) Summer 2024 update:
Curious about the work Rural Alive & Well do? Check out our latest impact stories online at: https://rawtas.com.au/impactstories

Reaching out for support is never easy, but we do try to make it simple. Use the QR code above or click the link to our call back request and our team will be in touch.

Professional Learning and Training for LGBTIQA+ Inclusion
WIO offers a range of standard and tailored training and professional learning packages for workplaces, organisations and government. Our more popular courses include:

• Language Matters (2 hours) – introduction to all things LGBTIQA+
• Being LGBTIQA+ Inclusive (3 hours) – embedding inclusion in your everyday work and life
• HOW2 – how to create an LGBTIQA+ inclusive organisation, and apply for the Rainbow Tick (4 days spread over 5 months)

For more information or to book contact Liv Hogarth, Manager of Learning, or download our brochure here: For Organisations - Working It Out Inc.

WIO Groups and Pride Coffees
We offer a number of peer support groups and other social connection opportunities across the state, to help people connect with the LGBTIQA+ community. Our groups are listed here: For Individuals - Working It Out Inc. (scroll down to the list of Support Groups). There are a couple of online options for specific groups, but most are face to face in different settings. Please check our calendar for exact dates and locations or email info@workingitout.org.au for more information.

Women In Waves tickets are on sale! Secure your spot at the 2024 WOMEN IN WAVES DAY with Seven-Time World Champion Layne Beachley at Turners Beach on Saturday 17th February. Hit the link below to purchase tickets, first in best dressed! The Women in Waves program is funded by the Crown through the Department of Health.

Working It Out have been working with Surfing Tasmania and Women in Waves to make this event safe(r) for LGBTIQA+ people, who are also underrepresented in the surfing community. The aim of this event is to introduce women, girls, and non-binary folks of all backgrounds to surfing, so if you’ve ever wanted to give it a try, this is the event for you!

Get along and give it a try!

Registrations are now open for the National Suicide Prevention Conference being held in Adelaide. This year will mark 25 years of the event being hosted by Suicide Prevention Australia. 

Held from Tuesday 30 April to Thursday 2 May, 2024 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the event will enable delegates to hear from leading keynote speakers, participate in workshops and networking and collaborate with their peers.

Wesley LifeForce are hosting online suicide prevention training on Wednesday 28 February 2024. This training provides participants with increased confidence to identify people who may be at risk of suicide, communicate appropriately with a suicidal person, ask a person if they are considering suicide and conduct a suicide intervention. 

CORES run a variety of training workshops for community members and organisations. 

Self-Care and Mental Wellbeing Workshop
This two-hour workshop provides participants with the skills and resources to develop an individualised self-care and mental wellbeing plan that encompasses activities to enhance physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health on a daily basis.

CORES Suicide Prevention Training
This full day training is designed to provide individuals and communities with the essential skills and resources required to identify and respond to a person at risk of suicide and build on a community's capacity to eliminate suicide. 

Providing an Inclusive Practice and Community for LGBTIQA+ People
This day training supports participants to understand the different LGBTIQA+ pronouns, the importance of inclusive language, the challenges and discrimination faced by each of the groups, and to identify how their service or community can become an LGBTIQA+ ally. 

Lifeline Training

Lifeline Tasmania offer a variety of public training courses around the state.  Training topics include:

• Accidental Counsellor
• ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)
• DV Aware
• Managing Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace 
• Mental Health First Aid - Refresher
• Mentor-Supervisor
• Suicide Conversation Skills
• Introduction to Trauma
• Trauma informed practice

To check out their course calendar head to their website:

REACH OUT - Helping teens cope with bad world news
When bad news breaks, it can be hard to avoid being affected by it. It’s all over TV, and everyone is talking about it on social media. REACH OUT have put together some tips on how you can help your teen learn about current affairs in a healthy way, and what you can do if bad world news is getting them down.

Laurel House is eager to understand your community's needs. They are hosting training sessions, followed by relaxed kitchen table conversations with food. Discussing sex, consent, and preventing harm is challenging but crucial for everyone's well-being, especially our children. 

Black Dog Institute - TEN (Navigating Burnout)

The Essential Network (TEN) for Health Professionals is a free online resource providing support for individuals to navigate burnout and maintain good mental health. 

Designed by health professionals, for health professionals, The Essential Network (TEN) makes accessing support quick, easy and confidential. There are also free e-learning modules available. 

This e-health hub gives you access to a network of support including: 

• self-guided mental health check-up
• connection to one-on-one clinical care, with up to five free telehealth sessions with a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist through Black Dog Institute’s TEN Clinic 
• evidence-based tools and resources
• peer support
• digital mental health programs including TEN’s Navigating Burnout program 

Whether through a cuppa, a picnic in the park, a message of support or a simple act of friendship with those around us, connection can, and should, be something we all strive for whenever we can.

Neighbours Every Day is Australia’s annual celebration of community and encourages people to build respectful, sustainable relationships and reduce loneliness. The National Day of Action for the ‘Neighbours Every Day’ (NED) campaign takes place on the last Sunday of every March.

This year Relationships Australia Tasmania and the State Government’s Healthy Tasmania partnered to launch the Neighbours Every Day community grants where communities could apply for up to $1,250 to support neighbourly activities that create social connection and address loneliness in their community.

Over 80 applications were received with planned neighbourly activities ranging from community afternoon teas, seed libraries, coffee groups, community connection days and movie nights.

To find out more about Neighbours Every Day and how you can create connections in your community visit: https://neighbourseveryday.org/

Wellbeing and Resilience Grants
The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care has made funding available to support disaster affected communities in the North and North West of Tasmania. In partnership with Primary Health Tasmania, the Mental Health Council of Tasmania are delivering grants to support community wellbeing and resilience.
 
Local community not-for-profit organisations working in and around the identified disaster affected communities will have the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $10,000 for activities or events that seek to promote resilience, build social connections, facilitate reconnection with local social support networks, and promote positive wellbeing messages.

2023-24 Community Support Fund (CSF) Small Grants Round
Up to $10,000 per organisation is available from a total pool of $250,000.

Organisations must be an incorporated not for profit or partner with one for their project. Projects must be undertaken in Tasmania and provide a benefit for vulnerable groups and/or communities.

Small grants must support preventing or reducing gambling harm, including projects that address the potential drivers and impacts of gambling harm. More information on drivers and impacts of harm can be found in the Guidelines.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) emails a list of grant opportunities available to the community sector regularly.  To get on their email distribution list contact grants@dpac.tas.gov.au. You can also check out some of the grants available on their website.

The Department of State Growth lists and offers grants and loans to businesses and individuals to assist in professional and sector development in Tasmania.

Healthy Tas Grants
The Healthy Tasmania Fund is a grants program for health and wellbeing in Tasmania. The Fund supports the work of local government and community organisations that are well placed to know their community needs and priorities.

Council grants
Local councils each provide community grant schemes to support community groups and local activities. See these listed on individual local Council websites.

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Newsletters are sent out quarterly. To include something in our autumn edition have your information to us by 30 March 2024. 

We acknowledge the individual and collective contributions of those with a lived and living experience of mental ill-health and suicide, and those who love, have loved and care for them.

The Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Community Network acknowledges that we live and work on Aboriginal land, land of the palawa/pakana people of lutruwita (Tasmania). We pay respect to Elders past and present. We honour all those who continue caring for country, sharing stories, and upholding rights. 

Here for all Tasmanians