Farm Link

1. Project Profile

Project Name(s)	Farm Link
Funded Organisation	Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health
Geographical Area	Local
State/Territory	New South Wales
Approach(es)	Selected and Indicated
Individual/Group	Individual and Group
LIFE Action Areas	Improving the evidence base and understanding of suicide prevention Building individual resilience and the capacity for self-help Improving community strength, resilience and capacity in suicide prevention Taking a coordinated approach to suicide prevention Providing targeted suicide prevention activities Implementing standards and quality in suicide prevention
Target Groups	People bereaved by suicide Men Youth Indigenous populations People living with a mental illness People who have previously attempted suicide Rural and remote communities LGBTI populations Older people People living with an alcohol or other drug problem Whole of community Workforce People affected by workforce redundancies People affected by natural disasters

2. Project Description

The Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health (CRRMH) was established in 2001 and is a major rural initiative of the University of Newcastle, the NSW Centre for Mental Health (NSW Health) and the Greater Western Area Health Service. CRRMH aims to improve the mental health of people in rural New South Wales through academic leadership, collaboration and achievements in research, education, service planning and policy development. Overall objectives of the Farm Link Project are:

1. Providing targeted suicide prevention activities
   • Improving access to a range of support and care for people feeling suicidal
   • Supported interventions for high needs population groups (i.e. Indigenous people, young people and men) and
   • Improving community strength, awareness and resilience
2. Taking a coordinated approach to suicide prevention
   • Developing and maintaining linkages and partnerships with key stakeholders to achieve mutual outcomes and
   • Building cross-sectoral partnerships, including governments, peak bodies, communities, and non-government organisations
3. Improving the evidence base and implementing standards and quality in suicide prevention
   • Training and up-skilling for health professionals and front-line workers, particularly in rural and remote areas
   • Conducting project evaluation and implementing recommendations
   • Improving practices through the development of policies and procedures to better manage service delivery and standards and
   • Collection of data for the Evaluation Data Reporting tool (EDR)

3. Activities

The aims and objectives of the project are achieved through:

• Providing early intervention mental health initiatives within rural communities focusing on building the capacity of other service providers to respond effectively to mental health needs as they arise in farmers and farm families. This includes developing service networks of non-government organisations, counselling services and agricultural support agencies and clinical referral pathways.
• Undertaking mental health promotion activities within farming communities through links with other rural government and non-government organisations
• Promoting the better understanding among mental health staff of the barriers to access to mental health care among farmers, and the range of mental health needs of farmers, including opportunities for early intervention and prevention
• Developing effective and appropriate mental health service responses to serious adverse events in farming communities, to promote early identification of high risk individuals and an effective range of clinical responses to the needs of farm families in crisis. This can range from specific personal disasters that affect families and communities (e.g. suicide) through to more general community disasters (e.g. flood, fire and drought). Top of page

4. Funding

• Round 1
  • NSPP funding
    • 2006/07 - $314,594
    • 2007/08 - $296,460
    • 2008/09 - $303,946
  • % project funding - 100%
• Round 2
  • NSPP funding
    • 2009/10 - $308,700
    • 2010/11 - $261,300
  • % project funding - 100%
• Round 3
  • NSPP funding
    • 2011/12 - $290,515
    • 2012/13 - $349,980
  • % project funding - 100%

5. Staffing

• Round 1 (2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09)
  • Number staff positions funded (FTE) - 4.5
  • Number staff positions filled (FTE) - 3
• Round 2 (2009/10, 2010/11)
  • Number staff positions funded (FTE) - 3
  • Number staff positions filled (FTE) - 3
• Round 3 (2011/12, 2012/13)
  • Number staff positions funded (FTE) - 3
  • Number staff positions filled (FTE) - 3
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