Report 7

The Implementation and Initial Outcomes of the Suicide Prevention Strategy

Auditor General’s Overview

Suicide is the leading cause of death for both men and women between the ages of 15 and 44. It takes more lives than road trauma or skin cancer. It takes an enormous toll on the families, friends and communities left behind. That toll is rising. Western Australia’s suicide rate has increased over the last decade to 36 per cent above the national rate, and some of our communities experience suicide rates up to 20 times the State average.

The causes of suicide are numerous and complex which makes preventing it one of the most difficult challenges that we face as a society. It is also one of the most important.

Western Australia’s Suicide Prevention  Strategy  2009-2013  introduced  a  new  approach to prevention. It sought to engage communities in designing and implementing their own prevention activities on the basis that broad engagement multiplied the chances of building resilience and preventing suicide. I commend the effort and commitment of all those across the State who got involved.

My audit shows that the Strategy succeeded in engaging communities in planning and participating in suicide prevention activities that they felt would work for them. This delivered benefits for individuals and communities.

But the benefits could have been greater. Delays resulted from a poor procurement process, the initial planning was inadequate and governance arrangements were unclear and inefficient. These issues cost time, effort and money that could have been spent on prevention activities. Changes were made in 2012 and 2013, increasing the number of community action plans, but other parts of the Strategy were not completed.

How long the impact of the Strategy will sustain is uncertain. Some of the initiatives that began under the Strategy are likely to last, but many communities do not have the capacity to carry on with prevention activities on their own.

Efforts to prevent suicide need to continue, and a community based approach can deliver benefits. Learning the lessons in this report will increase the likelihood that future prevention efforts deliver maximum and sustained benefits, and contribute to reducing the tragedy of suicide in our communities.

 
Page last updated: December 7, 2016

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