Postvention has historically been about the provision of therapeutic and psychosocial bereavement support to individuals and families impacted by suicide. Over the past 10-15 years however, postvention protocol response groups (PPRGs) as they are known in Victoria, have increasingly been developed across the country. They facilitate a coordinated service system response following a death by suicide, mobilising cross sector services to provide early intervention support to impacted communities. PPRG’s also offer a strategic vantage point for prevention, where stakeholders can collectively identify emerging risk, directing resources to respond to such risk.
With this growing interest in PPRGs nationally, it is essential that key insights from their establishment and implementation be harnessed and a solid evidence base be developed to guide their future implementation. At the Suicide Prevention Australia conference in 2024, a group of Victorian organisations with experience in the implementation of PPRG’s led a national forum to collectively explore how the capacity of postvention protocol response groups could be progressed. Participant insights from the workshop formed the foundation for a Delphi study which has been undertaken over the past year to provide consensus recommendations regarding the effective implementation of PPRG’s going forward. An Implementation Guide has also been developed, detailing examples of how to operationalise and translate these recommendations into practice.
This workshop will seek to explore and share new learnings. Participants will have opportunities for a deeper exploration of how these consensus guidelines can be operationalised. Components of PPRG’s and their real-world application will be discussed, including potential challenges and nuancing required to meet the specific needs of communities. They will also hear testimonies from stakeholders on their experience of being involved in PPRG’s responses, including from leaders of ethnically diverse, communities, LGBTIQ+ and a range of other service sector stakeholders.
Opportunities to collectively explore the practical application of PPRG’s will include:
This is an invitation to add your voices in this next iteration of the journey to collectively develop a model which maximises the capacity to support individuals and communities impacted by suicide.