Suicide prevention is most effective when people, communities, and services work together. While clinical care is essential, suicidal distress can also be shaped by life challenges such as financial stress, isolation, trauma, housing instability, discrimination, and barriers to support. A connected, whole-of-community approach helps people find support earlier, strengthens local services and improves care before, during and after a crisis.
In Western Sydney, WentWest supports suicide prevention by commissioning local services, building community capability, supporting after-suicide responses and helping health, community and government partners work together to respond to the unique needs of the diverse communities of Western Sydney.
What effective suicide prevention includes
- Promoting wellbeing: helping people stay connected, supported and safe at all stages of their life
- Prevention and Early support: reducing distress before it becomes a crisis
- Crisis and aftercare support: helping people during and after suicidal crisis
- After-suicide support (Postvention): supporting families, friends, services and communities affected by suicide
WentWest’s role
WentWest works with local partners to strengthen suicide prevention across Western Sydney. This includes funding services, supporting training and awareness, coordinating regional suicide prevention systems and using local evidence and lived experience to guide planning.
Western Sydney Suicide Alliance
The Western Sydney Suicide Alliance (WSSA) is a regional platform for collective action. It brings together people with lived experience, community organisations, health services, primary care providers, government agencies and other stakeholders to share evidence, identify gaps and support locally responsive solutions.
Through the Alliance, partners work together to strengthen local services, improve responses and support a more connected, compassionate and sustainable suicide prevention system for Western Sydney. If you would like to discuss suicide prevention referral pathways or opportunities for new initiatives, please contact wssa@wentwest.com.au
Programs and initiatives
Provider: Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS)
Focus area: Community awareness, training and local prevention activity
This program helps Hazara, Tamil, African, Ukrainian and Arabic-speaking communities build mental health knowledge and reduce suicide risk. It trains trusted community leaders, elders, peer leaders and young people to recognise distress early, offer support and connect people to help.
Provider: New Horizons
Focus area: Youth suicide aftercare and early support
i.am supports children and young people under 25 years of age who have attempted suicide, are experiencing suicidal thoughts, or are self-harming. Support is flexible and can take place at home, school or in the community. Young people work with a peer worker to create a personalised support plan, with family and carers involved where appropriate.
WentWest the Western Sydney primary Health Network is funding an expansion of the service to cover the whole PHN area, alongside existing funding from the Ministry of Health.
Provider: Neami National
Focus area: Suicide aftercare
The Way Back supports people after a suicide attempt or suicidal crisis over the phone or in person. It offers practical, non-clinical support for up to three months, including regular contact, safety planning, help to connect with community and health services during times of increased risk.
Providers: educaid, Lifeline Macarthur Western Sydney and YouTurn
Focus area: Community awareness, training and local prevention activity
WentWest is working closely with Educaid, Lifeline and YouTurn to lead the CALD Postvention Project Hub. The project works with CALD communities and partners to better understand local needs, develop practical resources and support future postvention work in a unique collaborative arrangement.
Providers: Headspace National and YouTurn
Focus area: Coordinated community response after a suicide death
These groups help communities respond after a suicide death through clear communication, local coordination and practical response plans. They bring services and community members together to strengthen relationships, improve referral pathways and support affected communities.
Provider: Western Sydney University and The Shed
Focus area: Practical wellbeing support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men people
The Shed is located in Emerton, Blacktown LGA, providing holistic wellbeing support, crisis assistance, and service connections with a prime focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Men. It also offers a safe, culturally welcoming space where all people Male or Female can connect or drop in for a chat.
Provider: Lifeline Macarthur Western Sydney
Focus area: Community awareness, training and local prevention activity
Lifeline Macarthur Western Sydney supports the Western Sydney Suicide Prevention Network, a voluntary committee working with local partners to help reduce suicide across the region. The Network brings professionals and community members together to build local responses, raise awareness, reduce stigma, and deliver suicide prevention training.
Provider: Collaboration for Impact
Focus area: Partnership, coordination and system improvement
Collaboration for Impact is helping WSSA partners work together more effectively on suicide prevention. This includes bringing community and lived experience voices into planning and coordination as well as supporting our team to further develop their skills in place-based and systems approaches to addressing suicide.
Past Projects and Initiatives
Provider: The Funding Network
Focus area: Local prevention activity and innovative funding approaches
The Funding Network is helping WentWest make our funding process simpler, more community-led and more responsive to local needs. This includes listening to local communities and people with lived experience of suicidal distress.
They have helped set up the groundwork for a future Pitch Night Event, where local community members, partners and people with lived experience help decide how funding is shared with grassroots organisations. Their Grant-Making Framework will guide this work, and implementation has started.
Provider: Black Dog Institute
Focus area: Regional workforce development
Black Dog Institute delivered pilot suicide prevention training for local GPs and WentWest-commissioned mental health clinicians. The training aimed to help practitioners support people experiencing suicidal distress in a collaborative, compassionate and effective way. Future workforce training options are being considered.