Evaluation of suicide prevention activities

11.9 Summary of key findings

Page last updated: January 2014

  • The ATAPS Suicide Prevention service initiative is an appropriate and effective suicide prevention intervention. It is not possible to establish the efficiency of the program because the national expansion of the program is still in its infancy and there is limited data on outcomes at this stage.
  • MindMatters was a national mental health promotion program for secondary schools that addresses some of the risk and protective factors for suicide. It has high levels of uptake and acceptance across Australian schools and appears to be an appropriate intervention. The evaluation reports produced to date (from 2006 to 2012) do not address the effectiveness or efficiency of MindMatters.
  • People working in the suicide prevention sector held mixed and sometimes confused views of what the NSPP is. Many did not see the NSPP as a distinct component of the Australian Government's activity around suicide prevention, and several confused the NSPP with the NSPS or the LIFE Framework.
  • Communication and leadership between DoHA, the jurisdictions and the sector was seen as an area for improvement, to ensure the NSPP is integrated with other suicide prevention activities in Australia.
  • Some stakeholders believe that suicide prevention is currently too strongly linked to a mental health agenda, at the expense of a broader 'social determinants' approach.