Community participation in Australia’s National Suicide Prevention Trial
Kylie King
A * , Teresa Hall B , Sanne Oostermeijer B and Dianne Currier B
A Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Vic. 3168, Australia.
B Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Australian Journal of Primary Health 28(3) 255-263 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY21083
Submitted: 19 April 2021 Accepted: 5 December 2021 Published: 27 April 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University.
Abstract
Background: National systems-based suicide prevention approaches are increasingly being implemented. Community participation is fundamental to the successful implementation of these approaches, but can be challenging to undertake. We present findings from the evaluation of Australia’s National Suicide Prevention Trial (the Trial).
Methods: We completed consultations with 127 community members and 46 Primary Health Network (PHN) staff. Thematic analysis was undertaken to understand the process of community participation in the planning and implementation of the Trial.
Results: Themes were identified regarding: a collaborative PHN; an engaged and passionate community; maintaining engagement; getting the right people involved; and getting stakeholders to work together. Continuous negotiation about Trial ownership, acceptability of the Trial model, and choice of activities was required. Community participation was somewhat challenging for PHNs, taking much longer than anticipated for a range of reasons.
Conclusions: Future system-based approaches could benefit from the provision of community participation skills training and support to enable a more coordinated, and perhaps more easily achieved, approach to the involvement of community. Despite a long process of relationship building between stakeholders, this led to improved community cohesion and integration in local suicide prevention, ready for future collaborative work.
Keywords: community participation, implementation, lifespan, public health, public involvement, qualitative, suicide, suicide prevention, system‐based.
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