Earlier this year in March, StandBy hosted their Pathways to Care workshop in Townsville. Coordinator for StandBy – Northern Queensland Cindy Everett delivered the face-to-face workshop, which was an exciting change from Zoom and other electronic platforms.

Pathways to Care is a free workshop designed for First Responders, GPs and other frontline responders, community organisations, and community suicide prevention action groups. It provides an opportunity for connection and participation with other organisations, allowing for a strategic and planned approach to suicide postvention and establishing how to support those within the community who are bereaved or impacted by suicide.

The workshop provided a space for other agencies to explain and clarify their roles, promoted a collaborative approach in responding to suicide, and developed professional networks that better support the community and enhance awareness, commented Cindy.

Participants in the group found the information provided by First Responders from the Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Police Service to be very informative; helping to outline particular processes and generate great discussions.

To enquire about the next Pathways to Care workshop, email StandBy – Northern Queensland at standby.fnq@uccommunity.org.au StandBy is a free service, dedicated to supporting people and communities across Australia bereaved or impacted by suicide. StandBy is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 1300 727 247. To arrange face-to-face or phone support contact them at standbyfnq@uccommunity.org.au

To learn more, visit the StandBy website at https://standbysupport.com.au/

Caption: A donation of bears received from Red Cross. These bears are part of the support pack given to those bereaved.