Lifeline to receive funding boost to increase Saturday night capacity and help vulnerable cohorts

Lifeline WA will become better at helping vulnerable groups in crisis — including victims of domestic violence, with the 24-hour hotline also set to increase its capacity on busy Saturday nights. Premier Roger Cook will announce Saturday that the State Government is providing $1.1 million to Lifeline to respond to calls on Saturday nights — a peak period for the service, by employing 10 additional crisis support workers to boost capacity at this time. The money will also be spent on training staff to help higher-risk populations such as young people, LGBTIQA+ people, Aboriginal people, men, and victims of family violence and sexual assault. Lifeline will recruit a crisis support training coordinator with experience in supporting at-risk populations to develop and deliver professional development to call-takers. The Premier said while suicide prevention was a “whole of community issue”, there were some communities impacted more than others. “Sadly, victim-survivors of FDV and sexual assault, young people, LGBTIQA+ people, Aboriginal people, CaLD communities and men are at higher risk of suicide and need extra support,” Mr Cook said. “That’s why my Government is committed to boosting awareness and prevention where it is needed most. “This $1.1 million funding boost will support Lifeline WA so they can better meet the needs of higher-risk groups, with an additional 10 crisis support workers on hand to help.” It can also be revealed that the Mental Health Commission will set up a $1 million targeted grants program to deliver tailored responses to high-risk groups in specific local communities. The program will offer grants of up to $100,000 for organisations to run community-led initiatives to increase awareness of suicide prevention services, encourage conversations about mental health and suicide and get the community involved in suicide prevention. Mental Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said Lifeline — which already provides 24-hour crisis support to about 100,000 people in WA each year — was a “vital service” that deserved credit for its more than thirty decades of work in the community. “Evidence suggests that especially vulnerable populations are more likely to contact crisis support services on Saturday nights, and these 10 additional crisis support workers will help Lifeline WA boost their capacity during this peak time,” the minister said. “As a Government, we are committed to increasing access to mental health services across the State and helping West Australians to connect with care that is tailored to their individual needs.” Lifeline 13 11 14