This framework will guide activities in NSW until 2023 and marks the beginning of the journey towards zero suicides in NSW.

The framework has been developed by the NSW Mental Health Commission and the NSW Ministry of Health, in collaboration with people with lived experience of a suicide attempt or suicide bereavement, government agencies, mental health organisations and experts in suicide prevention. More than 1,800 people provided written submissions, participated in meetings, completed an online survey and joined community forums to contribute to the Framework’s development.

The launch of the framework was accompanied by investment in new and expanded initiatives to implement priorities under the framework including:

• aftercare services for people who have made a suicide attempt
• alternative services for people presenting to emergency departments in distress
• support services for people bereaved by suicide
• more counsellors for regional and rural communities
• expanded community mental health outreach teams
• suicide awareness skills training
• an evidence-informed innovation fund to bring approaches showing promising results from other jurisdictions to NSW
• strengthening practices in the mental health system to eliminate suicides and suicide attempts among people in care
• resilience building in local communities
• improvements to the collection and distribution of suicide data in NSW.

The NSW Mental Health Taskforce considers key government priorities and cross-portfolio matters related to mental health, including the significance of regional challenges and implementation, and enhances cross-agency collaboration. The NSW Mental Health Taskforce will provide oversight for the Strategic Framework for Suicide Prevention in NSW 2018–2023, reflecting the diverse membership required to ensure action is taken across agencies.