The strategy was developed in extensive partnership with people with lived and living experience of suicide, along with input from hundreds of stakeholders through consultations, roundtables, and co-design workshops.The strategy explicitly states that "lived and living experience knowledge" was embedded at the center of efforts and that evidence includes "Aboriginal knowledge passed through oral tradition via yarns, stories and community sharing."
Victorian Suicide Prevention and Response Strategy 2024-2034
Overview
The Victorian suicide prevention and response strategy 2024-2034 outlines a 10-year whole-of-government approach to reduce suicide across all Victorian communities. Developed through extensive co-design with people with lived experience, it focuses on six priority areas: connected systems, strengthened supports, capable workforces, community action, government collaboration, and evidence-based delivery.
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Key insights
Based on the Victorian suicide prevention strategy, here are 8 key insights:
- Whole-of-government approach essential for effective suicide prevention
- Lived experience expertise central to strategy development
- Six priority areas guide comprehensive prevention efforts (eg. connected systems, build and strengthen supports, build a compassionate, trauma-informed workforce, reduce stigma, drive whole-of-government collaboration, build on data and evidence)
- Stigma reduction enables community-wide prevention action
- Connected systems improve access and continuity of care
- Trauma-informed workforce strengthened by peer support roles
- Aboriginal self-determination advances culturally appropriate responses
- Rolling implementation plans allow flexible, evidence-based adaptation
Did this resource draw on transformative evidence?
The document contains considerable professional practice wisdom through consultation with:
- Mental health clinicians and peer workers
- Frontline responders and emergency services
- Experts from suicide prevention and response sectors
- Academic researchers and sector representatives
The Victorian suicide prevention strategy 2024-2034 is extensively research-based, incorporating national/international evidence, Victorian Coroners Court data, Royal Commission findings, and academic research on risk factors. It emphasizes evidence-informed decision-making through continuous evaluation, rolling implementation plans adapted to emerging research, and integration with performance frameworks. Priority area 6 specifically commits to building evidence base through ongoing research partnerships and evaluation to support continuous learning and improvement.