CBPATSISP

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Statistics

Data

This section encompasses data relating to Indigenous people in Australia and internationally. These include survey, longitudinal, and other data types. For each data presented, we have provided the weblink to the source. Included are three data sources from Australia ─ the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC).

The AIHW develops, collects, analyses, and reports information on a broad range of health and welfare issues in Australia.
Specifically, AIHW holds valuable data on diverse health and welfare topics that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including expenditure, hospitals, disease, injury, mental health, ageing, homelessness, housing, disability, child protection, and the needs of AIHW.
Recently, the AIHW released self-harm and suicide monitoring data, which contain statistics on death by suicide, intentional self-harm, and suicidal behaviour among Australians including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The ABS is a national statistical service that provides statistics and research on a wide range of topics relevant to both government and community decision-making and research. The ABS currently hold a significant repository of national health statistics, including data by region available to support health research activities.
Currently, ABS is conducting an Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study (IHMHS). The IHMHS is the largest health survey program undertaken in Australia and will inform Australian health policy, service planning, and research over the coming decade.

The IHMHS will include 4 national studies:

  1. National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing
  2. National Health Study – including the National Health Survey and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey
  3. National Nutrition and Physical Activity Study – including the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey
  4. National Health Measures Study – including the National Health Measures Survey and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander information will be released for all components except the National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Details are available at the Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study site.

The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) provides an opportunity to follow the development of up to 1759 Indigenous children across Australia. LSIC conducts annual face-to-face interviews with children (at baseline in 2008) and their caregivers. This represents between 5% and 10% of the total population of Indigenous children in these age groups, including families of varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Study topics include: the physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and their caregivers; language; culture; parenting; and early childhood education.

Fact Sheets

Policy Reports

Indigenous suicide prevention practice in Australia is underpinned by a number of key texts, developed as policy documents for governments, practice guides for service providers or commentaries by community leaders. This section introduces these texts.

Solutions that Work: What the Evidence and Our People Tell Us (2016)

Developed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project (ATSISPEP, the forerunner to the CBPATSISP), Solutions that Work has been highly influential in informing Commonwealth and State and Territory Government policy development, including through the design of programs under the National Suicide Prevention Trial. For the first time, the report set out in detail how to ensure appropriate Indigenous governance, leadership and co-design for suicide prevention activities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

About

Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice (2010, updated 2014)

With chapters from leading researchers and clinicians, this book is a comprehensive practice guide that frames psychological and healing responses to distress and suicidality within their community, cultural and historical contexts.

About

The Elders’ Report into Preventing Indigenous Self-harm and Youth Suicide

The Elders’ Report is a powerful series of interviews with Indigenous community leaders Australia-wide, which presents their unfiltered perspectives on the causes of suicides in their communities and approaches to healing and suicide prevention. It also presents details of community-run suicide prevention programs.

About

WADAMBA WILAM PRACTICE APPROACH

This document details the practice and impact of Wadamba Wilam, one of many programs delivered by Neami National and funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.

What has been done so far?

As indicated in the document, the people with whom Wadamba Wilam works have been consistently failed by service systems, government programs and pervasive racism and stigma. For many people who have been in an endless cycle of homelessness and rough sleeping, psychiatric admissions, emergency department presentations and interactions with the justice system, Wadamba Wilam has been the turning point from which their lives begin to transform. Many people who have used Wadamba Wilam’s service experienced vastly improved physical and mental health, enjoy stable accommodation and have an overall increase in their social and emotional wellbeing.

Importantly, for consumers of the service between July 2016 June 2020, some of the outcomes achieved include:

  • 81% of consumers are housed in sustainable 69% of consumers have sustained these tenancies for over 12 months.
  • 61% decrease in the number of inpatient psychiatric admissions post-referral. The average yearly psychiatric admissions reduced from 1.5 per year per person, to 0.1 per year per person.
  • 67% of consumers have experienced an increase in their meaningful activity, shifting from 73% of consumers engaging in survival activities only at service entry.
  • 72% of consumers have reduced both their use of alcohol and ice. 67% of consumers have reduced their use of opioids

Additionally, Wadamba Wilam have supported consumers to:

  • Attend to complex physical health needs and connect to trusted GPs and other specialists.
  • Navigate the justice system and in many cases, avoid incarceration.
  • Connect to family violence services.
  • Strengthen connections to culture and family.
About

The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration (2015)

Developed by Indigenous leaders as an Australian companion to the international Wharerata Declaration, the Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration outlines an agenda for high-quality culturally responsive approaches to Indigenous mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention across the whole mental health system. The Declaration has been adopted within the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.

About

National Suicide Prevention Advisers Final Report (2020)

In July 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the commitment of the Australian Government to working ‘towards zero suicides’ and the appointment of the First National Suicide Prevention Adviser.

Over 18 months, the Adviser (Ms Christine Morgan) and the National Suicide Prevention Taskforce engaged with different levels of government and portfolios, organisations working in suicide prevention, researchers, leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention, and community members.

In April 2021, National Suicide Prevention Adviser Christine Morgan submitted the Final Report which includes:

  • a focus on system shifts to achieve a national whole-of-government approach to suicide prevention
  • action areas to deliver a more connected, compassionate response that supports people in distress earlier. 

Description: 

The final advice is made up of 4 reports and an executive summary:

  • The executive summary
  • The compassion first report details insights from people who have a lived experience of suicide and suicide distress
  • Connected and compassionate (final advice) report and recommendations
  • Shifting the focus guide and decision making tool to support engagement of all government portfolios in suicide prevention
  • Appendices to support the advice.

The report was informed by thorough consultation with:

  • people with lived experience of suicide
  • all Australian Government portfolios
  • each state and territory government
  • a broad range of stakeholders, including suicide prevention organisations, medical and allied health and mental health peak bodies, local governments, Primary Health Networks, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and members of the Adviser’s Expert Advisory Group.

Key focus of this report:

  • The Final Advice report calls for a focus on prevention and early intervention with more integrated services.
  • The report has identified four essential enablers to move to a new approach and four further priority shifts to engage with people to prevent suicide distress.

The four key enablers

  • Leadership and governance to drive a whole of government approach
  • Lived experience knowledge and leadership
  • Data and evidence to drive outcomes
  • Workforce and community capability

The four priority shifts

  • Responding earlier to distress
  • Connecting people to compassionate services and supports
  • Targeting groups that are disproportionately affected by suicide
  • Delivering policy responses to improve security and safety

Summary ─ National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy

The report has separately included a summary on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy as an appendix.

The summary was prepared by Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia for inclusion in the Report. The report indicated that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) suicide prevention sits within the broader context of strengthening the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) of Indigenous individuals, families, and communities. Therefore, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy and Plan (NATSISPSP) needs to be implemented simultaneously with:

  • The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017 – 2023, which is a strategic blueprint for strengthening SEWB in addition to transforming the mental health system to work effectively with Indigenous peoples.
  • The 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap (NCTGA). This includes Outcome Area 14 focused on strengthening SEWB and Target 14, towards zero suicides.
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021-2031 (under development)

Pillars of the NATSISPSP included in summary are:

  • Inclusion of Indigenous people with lived experience in the co-design, implementation, and evaluation of all Indigenous suicide prevention activity.
  • Any suicide prevention strategy or initiative must be broadly inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the recommendations contained within the NATSISPSP.
  • Indigenous Governance and Community Leadership of Suicide Prevention Activity
  • Strengthening Supports for Communities, Families and Young People;
  • Focus on Priority Groups: Men, Women, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, plus, Sistergirl and Brotherboy (LGBTIQ+SB) and Stolen Generations;
  • Transforming Services and Workforces for Indigenous Suicide Prevention; and
  • Indigenous Governance in Suicide Prevention Research, Data, and Evaluation.
About

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy (2013)

The first Indigenous-specific suicide prevention strategy focused on building resilience, strength and capacity at community, family and individual levels, and developing targeted and coordinated approaches to suicide prevention services. The Strategy is currently being renewed.

About

National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017-2023 (2017)

The Framework provides detailed principles and guidance for policy-makers to address Indigenous mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention.

More detail about government policies relating to Indigenous mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, and how these policies relate to each other, is presented in the Policy Concordance.

About

Suicide Prevention Policy Concordance

The Suicide Prevention Policy Concordance is aimed at Indigenous communities, mental health and health services, Primary Health Networks, policy-makers, researchers and advocates interested in Indigenous suicide prevention.

It aims to assist readers navigate the many policy documents that encompass Indigenous and mainstream suicide prevention and related areas at the Commonwealth, States and Territory and community levels. This includes Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing and relevant mental health-related policy documents.

Search the Concordance
Download pdf version

Suicide Prevention Organisations & Resources

The CBPATSISP Resource Directory contains a broad range of resources developed and/or adapted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. All the resources have been assessed and deemed as culturally appropriate by our researchers. Click on each heading to find appropriate resources for your organisation or community.

The headspace Clinical Toolkit provides you with the information needed to recognise and treat common mental health issues in young people. It is organised into different Tools, each one containing information around one main topic.

Motivational care planning – Self management in Indigenous mental health Nagel T. (2006) This article discusses the development of self management skills
in mental health, with particular reference to the use of brief interventions in remote indigenous communities, and highlights qualitative findings of a recent study, which sought to integrate these interventions into a practical approach to treatment.

  • eheadspace.org.au
    • eheadspace provides free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12 – 25 and their families and friends. If you’re based in Australia and going through a tough time, eheadspace can help.
  • Beyond Blue
  • Kids Helpline
  • Lifeline
  • Suicide Call Back Service
    • Is a nationwide service providing 24/7 telephone and online counselling to people affected by suicide.

Language and Culture – Working Together Session

In May 2019 Empowered Communities brought together Aboriginal organisations and leaders from across the East Kimberley to talk about Language and
Culture. Together we;

• Shared stories and experiences to build a shared understanding of what Language and Culture means.
• Explored our hopes and aspirations for Language and Culture.
• Named what success would look like when Language and Culture are strong.
• Began to plan how we can track and measure progress.

Click here for the Powerpoint presentation or visit the Binarri-binyja yarrawoo website.  The backbone organisation for the Empowered Communities reform agenda in the East Kimberley.

The Working Together book was written by recognised experts, practitioners and researchers in a range of disciplines within the mental health field and have presented a variety of perspectives related to the causes and possible solutions to many of the social and emotional and mental health issues experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., & Walker, R. (2014). Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice (2nd edition). Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia

  • Alive and Kicking Goals!
    • This project (based in Broome) is a suicide prevention peer education project which takes an innovative approach to tackle the inadequate provision of mental health services to youth at risk in the Kimberley. It is a positively-framed project which aims to prevent self-harm and suicidal behaviours by enhancing protective factors.
  • Be Deadly Online
    • Is a series of resources including animation, poster and video campaigns for communities and schools created with input from Aboriginal communities across Australia. (Qld, Vic & WA)
  • Beyond Blue – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
    • A range of research, information, education and support strategies developed in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations.
  • #Chatsafe – A Young Person’s Guide for Communicating Safely Online About Suicide
    • The #chatsafe guidelines have been developed in partnership with young people to provide support to those who might be responding to suicide-related content posted by others or for those who might want to share their own feelings and experiences with suicidal thoughts, feelings or behaviours.
  • Headspace: Yarn Safe
    •  A website with information that may help you or somebody else, if you are going through a hard time. There’s no shame in talking it out.
  • Headspace: Diversity in the work place is a beautiful thing – Nathan Bramston
    • Nathan shares his story and video of working at Headspace helping to build cultural capacity.
  • Head to Health –
    • A website with resources for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • Heal Our Way Campaign
    • Heal Our Way is a NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Campaign funded by the NSW Ministry of Health under the Towards Zero Suicides (TZS) and is led by Cox Inall Ridgeway in partnership with Aboriginal Communities within NSW.
    • For stakeholders, check out their stakeholders kit comprising of a various tools such as guides to running a strengths-based yarning circle. 
    • Do also check out their guide to safe conversations around asking someone about suicide. 
  • ibobbly-app
    • iBobbly is the world’s first suicide prevention app designed for young Indigenous Australians that delivers therapy in a culturally relevant way.
  • Keeping Strong
    • A flyer about the ways to keep strong and find help and healing.
  • Lifeline Toolkit
    • A self-help resource to help people living with mental illness.
  • Lighting the Dark – Preventing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide video
    • A video produced by the Queensland and Aboriginal and Islander Health Council featuring NRL players.
  • RUOK?
    • The RUOK? ‘Stronger Together’ kit is a free resource containing videos, posters and a conversation guide.
  • Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Corporation
    • Waltja is a community based organisation that works with families from Central Desert indigenous communities to address major issues affecting their communities.
  • Wesley Mission 
    • At Wesley Mission, we believe that every life matters. Through our suicide prevention programs, we aim to help those at risk of suicide find the assistance they need. We are a trusted leader in this field, having established Lifeline and suicide prevention program, Wesley LifeForce.
  • #YouCanTalk 
    • #YouCanTalk is a national suicide prevention campaign, led by some of Australia’s mental health and suicide prevention organisations, which aims to empower and increase confidence when it comes to talking about suicide.
  • Beyond Blue – Finding Our Way Back – Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples after a suicide attempt
    • This resource provides practical information for you, your family and friends about what to do and what to expect if someone has attempted suicide.
  • Healing Our Way After a Suicide Brochure
    • This brochure was developed as a joint initiative of health organisations in Yarrabah, Qld.
  • Mindframe – for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health sector
    • The suicide prevention and mental health sector play an important role in safely communicating about suicide and mental ill-health to the Australian public.
  • Postvention Australia is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and helping people bereaved by suicide – those who are left behind after a suicide takes place. They provide information & support packs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are bereaved by suicide or other sudden death. These packs have been produced by Urbis Keys Young in consultation with community and government stakeholders in each State and Territory, containing information on the process of loss and grief, how to talk to young people about suicide or sudden death, and services and resources available to people grieving.  The information booklets have a section on Grieving the Aboriginal Way adapted from Westerman, Tracy & Feehann, Ashley, Grieving Aboriginal Way, Indigenous Psychological Services, 2001. Illustrated by Kye McGuire.

The Suicide Prevention and Response resources produced by Be You provide clear, practical and reliable guidance and support to assist schools in suicide prevention and response. Be You is part of Beyond Blue.

It provides strategies for supporting students, staff, families and the broader community. The information can be used to:

  • prepare your school community to be ready should a death by suicide occur
  • guide your school on how to support a young person at risk of suicide
  • guide your response to a death by suicide and the subsequent recovery for the school community.

Schools may have a ‘Be You’ consultant who can assist teachers and families to work through the required actions to prepare for, respond to or recover from issues related to youth suicide.

Be You has produced a series of Fact Sheets to support staff working with Aboriginal and Islander children and young people and their families after a suicide. These include:

Self-care for school staff working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in remote areas

Remembering a young person: Memorials and important events

Grief: How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people might respond to suicide

Suicide in schools: Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

Suicide contagion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

Suicide response and postvention guidelines for schools

Educational resources for teachers, students and schools

Many wonderful organisations provide quality educational resources that can be used to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Click here for a collection of websites and resources not only valuable for teachers, students and schools, but also all Australians looking to better understand and celebrate Australia’s First Peoples and rich Indigenous history.

Working with young people – This guide aims to support workers and agencies working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who use alcohol and other drugs.

Related Research

  • AIMhi Stay Strong app
    • The AIMhi Stay Strong App is an innovative tool that addresses the mental health and wellbeing concerns of First Nations Australians using a cross-cultural approach. It is designed to promote wellbeing by reviewing strengths, worries and the goals or changes people would like to make in their lives.
  • The eMHPrac Resource Guide for Practitioners provides a useful overview of various Australian online and teleweb programs. All listed programs have been developed by credible sources, such as the Australian Government, universities, and national non-government organisations. This includes apps, online programs, online forums, and phone services, as well as a range of digital information resources. It includes A Brief Guide: Digital Mental Health Resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
  • HeadtoHealth
    • If you’re trying to improve your own mental health, or support somebody else with mental health issues, Head to Health provides links to trusted Australian online and phone supports, resources and treatment options. It also features Samthebot who is an online robot designed to answer relevant queries.
  • headspace.org.au – Got a lot going on?
  • Hitnet Community Hubs
    • Hitnet brings information and services to the hardest to reach people in the world.
  • Working for Spirit, Mind and Soul – DVD
  • Indigenous Community Videos – Working for Spirit, Mind and Soul – DVD
  • Kids Helpline
  • ‘Life Giving Music and Dance’ DVD
    • This video was driven by key figures in the communities of Galiwin’ku and Milingimbi, telling the story in Djambarrpuynu of how music, dancing and singing can improve your mental health, showing the significance of music and dance for Yolgnu people as the vital ingredients that provide the identity and resilience necessary for community members to maintain good mental Health. Produced for NT Medicare Local in 2013.
  • Lived Experience Perspectives
    • IASP Congress 2021 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Perspectives.  This video was produced by the National Mental Health Commission and Black Dog Institute.
  • Love and Hope Video
  • PSY [Preventing Suicide in Youth] Facebook Group
    • This group is for peer support and is not a professional counselling service.
  • Proppa Deadly
    • Proppa Deadly is an initiative by Beyond Blue on which includes a number Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people sharing their stories and encouraging others to take action to address depression and anxiety. This is achieved via the First Nations community radio at sixteen radio stations in metropolitan, regional and remote areas of Australia.
  • SANE Online Forums
    • SANE offer services to help support all Australians affected by complex mental health issues.
  • Yarn Safe Website
    • Got a lot going on? When we’ve got a lot going on we can feel sad, tired, stressed and angry. Everybody has these feelings when life is tough, but when these feelings go on for a long time it can weaken our body, mind and spirit. If you feel like there is too much happening, clearing your head can help. Below is some information that may help you or somebody else, when going through a hard time. There’s no shame in talking it out.
      headspace is your space to yarn safe.
  • Young Proud and Strong
    • The Young, Strong and Proud project works with young people in discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland with the aim of developing a series of communication resources aimed at alcohol use, tobacco use, and inhalant use reduction.

SEWB Explainer Vimeo 

An educational resource develop by Yamatji-Nyoongar man Kevin Taylor to explain what is Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) for Aboriginal peoples and what can impact a person’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing.

There are many sources of information and statistics about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and social issues.

Aboriginal Interpreting Western Australia – the only Indigenous language interpreting service in Western Australia.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – An overview of the Health & Welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people.

Australian Institute of Family Studies – Reports prepared for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse 2009 -2014.

Black Dog Institute – Clinical Resources – Facts about Suicide in Australia 2018

CRESP: Centre of Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention – aims to generate new research to increase the knowledge of effective prevention and treatment in suicide prevention. The Centre has four research streams focusing on improving delivery of interventions, better knowledge of causes and risks, increasing help-seeking, and better prioritising of funds.

Early,Trauma, Grief at Australian National University – Fact Sheet No. 16 – Suicide Prevention in Indigenous Communities 2007

Justice Health Unit, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne – The Justice Health Unit seeks to generate world-class evidence regarding the health and health service experiences of justice-involved populations, and to advocate for evidence-informed policy to improve their health outcomes.

Life In Mind Australia – is a resource for suicide prevention in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and people looking for information about suicide.

Menzies School of Health Research – Menzies School of Health Research is Australia’s only medical research institute whose major focus is improving Indigenous health and wellbeing.

Productivity Commission – Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage, Key Indicators 2016

Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Services in Aboriginal Australia – This website is designed for those seeking to learn about ways of meeting the social and emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

Suicide Prevention Australia – National peak body for the suicide prevention sector. This organisation supports, collaborates and advocates for the meaningful reduction of suicide in Australia.

Yorgum – Aboriginal Corporation offering services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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