Our approach

What is a SPCAP?

Suicide Prevention Community Action Plans (SPCAPs) is a community-wide response to preventing and reducing the impact of suicide through local action across a range of areas. SPCAPs provide:

  • an understanding of current issues and context relating to suicide prevention — including relevant policies, data trends, and the current needs and protective factors found within local communities

  • recognition of the diversity of communities and acknowledging priority population groups or communities that are impacted more by suicide

  • a vision for change and measurable outcomes

  • key priorities for action that are relevant and meaningful for communities — which includes recognising where actions are already being taken

  • a plan for how priorities can be supported or progressed through coordinated and collective action.

What is our role?

The delivery of SPCAPs for the Cairns and Hinterland and Torres and Cape regions of Far North Queensland (FNQ) is a partnership between Northern Queensland PHN and Beacon Strategies.

Both SPCAPs have involved a journey over several years, with contributions of expertise, experience and effort from many organisations and community members across FNQ.

Our approach to developing the SPCAPs involved extensive community consultation (including people with lived experience), stakeholder engagement, data analysis, desktop research and regional governance.

Our role now is to support the implementation of the SPCAPs through ‘backbone support’ where we bring organisations together and support communities to take action on SPCAP priorities.

Head to Cairns and Hinterland SPCAP or Torres and Cape SPCAP to learn more about each plan and how they were developed.

Learn more about our Life Promotion FNQ team who are coordinating the Cairns and Hinterland SPCAP and Torres and Cape SPCAP here.

Our approach is informed by Black Dog Institute’s LifeSpan Framework and underpinned by the principles of a Collective Impact approach — read more about these two guiding models below.

Lifespan Framework

lifespan framework diagram

The LifeSpan Framework developed by the Black Dog Institute offers at first glance a simple ‘recipe for success’ in suicide prevention.

As we delve deeper we can see how it gives a solid evidence base and a shared language as we seek to build a comprehensive ‘whole-of-system’ approach to suicide prevention.

The LifeSpan Framework is used as a guide throughout our work with communities, individuals and organisations. Questions we might ask include:

  • Where might we put our effort and energy?

  • What is important for any given community at this time?

  • Which element may need more focus?

  • Are there areas that have been paid less attention than others?

Collective Impact

five points of collective impact

Collective Impact offers an approach to drive change. It's essentially a movement for change. 

It is designed to help us solve those “wicked problems”. Those complex problems for which there is no easily identifiable solution. At its core is the understanding that together we can create new ways of working and thinking together.

Understanding and responding to suicide in our communities has to be one of those complex problems that an approach such as Collective Impact can help us respond to.

We are inspired by Collective Impact and draw elements of this approach into our work in communities across Far North Queensland.

Read more about Collective Impact www.tamarackcommunity.ca