| Lifeline 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au 24 hours, 7 days a week |
| 13YARN 13 92 76 or www.13yarn.org.au 24 hours, 7 days a week For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples |
| Beyond Blue Support Service 1300 224 636 or www.beyondblue.org.au 24 hours, 7 days a week |
| You can also contact your agency's Employee Assistance Program |
In September we are reminded of the need for individual and collective action to embed a suicide prevention culture across all the communities we belong to (R U OK? Day, World Suicide Prevention Day).
While we all want to be there for someone in need, sometimes the thought of asking someone ‘R U OK?’ can feel daunting. However, we are all capable of learning skills to support someone in distress – it is not something only health professionals can do.
As members of the APS, there is a high likelihood that our colleagues and the communities we interact with may be impacted by adversity and hardship. Alongside this, many people who experience crisis are more likely to speak to a family member, friend or trusted community member before they access professional supports. That’s why it is critical that we become more informed about how to connect with and respond to people who are not travelling well.
Since its launch in 2022, over 2900 APS staff representing almost 50 agencies have enrolled in Compassionate Foundations, a six module eLearning package specifically developed for the APS. Incorporating holistic, compassionate and skills-focused approaches to support people in distress, the training also offers practical self-care ideas and reflection activities that can support us all to identify and overcome challenges and obstacles.
Asking someone if they are ‘OK’ doesn’t just apply during September. Consider enrolling in Compassionate Foundations and making a tangible and lasting commitment to developing the skills and confidence to have life-changing conversations.
87% of course participants agreed that they felt confident to support someone in distress after completing Compassionate Foundations.
83% of participants agreed that Compassionate Foundations has been valuable in building their overall capability in suicide prevention.
“The language, scenarios and context all appropriate for the audience (APS staff). The lived experience reflections grounded the theory and skills, and allowed me to understand and respond compassionately to people with a lived experience.”
– Compassionate Foundations participant“The course was practical and helped a non-clinician like me to be useful to a person under stress that could lead to suicide. Importantly the course showed the boundaries that non clinicians must observe and also it taught me about self-care.”
– Compassionate Foundations participant
- Self-paced and skills-focused. This training provides APS staff across all levels and roles with key concepts designed to empower us and build our confidence to respond to others in distress
- Includes common scenarios to assist you to put your learning into practice
- Opportunities for reflection and reminders to practice self-care
- Opportunities to hear from people with lived experience of overcoming distress or adversity.