By serving as a key reference point, the competence framework aims to give structure to the mental health care given throughout Australia's universities for the country's 1.5 million students and 100,000 staff each year. Its goal is to supplement Australia's current support service network in higher education.
Catriona Jackson, CEO of Universities Australia, said the framework was created with the many mental health risk factors in universities in mind, which both students and staff must deal with.
We're asking institutions to incorporate this approach into their existing policies and practices as a critical step toward ensuring that everyone who needs assistance has access to a consistent, high-quality, and safe level of care, Jackson said.
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It's worth noting that suicide is the biggest cause of mortality among Australian young adults aged 18 to 24. In recent years, there have also been requests in Australia to address the issue of suicide among overseas students.
Many foreign students experience a variety of unpleasant elements as a result of relocating to a new country, adjusting to a different culture, and learning new methods of living and studying. A fundamental gap has also been recognized as a lack of a coordinated and methodical strategy to address the problem.
The collaboration between Universities Australia and Suicide Prevention Australia aims to assist and complement universities' efforts in solving these issues and closing gaps in suicide prevention.
The framework was developed via a consultative approach, with 27 participants from 11 universities offering feedback on the critical gaps and diverse features needed to provide more comprehensive suicide prevention and mental health care in their institutions.
People who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex; and culturally and linguistically diverse are more prone to suicide, according to the framework. As a result, it aims to focus attention on assisting these groups of people across Australia's institutions.
We all have a responsibility to play in the prevention of suicide. Partnerships like these have the potential to create solid solutions that can make a genuine impact in the lives of many individuals, according to Nieves Murray, CEO of Suicide Prevention Australia.
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Murray noted that the suicide prevention competence framework would be evidence-based, culturally relevant, and hands-on in its support for institutions to build on protective characteristics while lowering risk in their communities.
With this approach, we want to inspire more colleges to organize these discussions, remove stigma, and eventually seek to reduce suicide fatalities. She stated that we must never underestimate the impact that every person lost to suicide has on family, friends, businesses, and the greater society.
Source: The PIE News
PlanningHigher Educationin Top Australian Univerity?
