Farmer suicide prevention plan rolled out for Indigenous people

The culturally appropriate program, run by rural suicide prevention group Farm-link, was trialled in Tamworth this week.

Program co-ordinator Fiona Longsworth said Farm-link generally focused on farmers but saw a gap in the Indigenous community that needed to be filled.

Farm-link designed the program after consulting with Moree elders, Aboriginal health workers and community leaders.

“We showed them the original program we used for farmers, and asked what is and isn’t culturally appropriate,” she said. 

“We’ve taken a lot of the factors of Aboriginal health and what gives meaning to Aboriginal people – things like culture, spirituality, social and emotional wellbeing, and the importance of family and community.

“We’ve built that into the program, because they are really important protective factors against suicide.”

Ms Longsworth said it was important to have an Aboriginal teacher involved in the program.

Mr Blacklock is helping Farm-link trial the program and using his own experience to connect with participants.

“There is a lot going on in people’s heads – if they’re dealing with a problem, we want to give others the tools to identify when someone is in need of help,” he said.

“I’ve been though it and I can speak to these people and ask them questions that a non-Aboriginal person can’t ask.

“I can connect with the guys about getting back to culture, speaking to the elders and looking back on their ancestral history.”

Mr Blacklock said half the battle was getting people to tell someone they were doing it tough.

“A lot of Aboriginal people won’t speak up about it, so if you identify they’ve got a problem, get them talk about it,” he said.

“From there we can find ways to deal with the issues they have, whether it’s seeking medical advice or just opening up to someone.”

Ms Longsworth said she would love to see the program reach a larger audience.

“It would be great for us to have additional funding so we could cover a larger area – particularly if they were happy for us to go state-wide,” she said.

“A bigger budget would allow us to employ and train more people, and do a big research and evaluation project on this – that’s what we would love to do.”