Become part of a team who are dedicated to enhancing and connecting primary healthcare to achieve better health outcomes for the South Western Sydney community.
Find your next South Western Sydney general practice career or practice for sale.
Practice vacancy ad request form
Practice for sale form
Activities engaging priority populations to reduce their risk of suicide and promote help-seeking and connectedness have now been boosted through a South Western Sydney PHN small grants program.
Grants of between $50,000 and $200,000 have been issued to nine community groups and organisations to fund a variety of activities including peer-led group supports and creative and awareness campaigns.
The grants are funded by South Western Sydney PHN under the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Targeted Regional Initiatives for Suicide Prevention program which aims to build resilience and knowledge within the local community by increasing mental health literacy, help-seeking and knowledge of local services, all protective factors for suicide prevention.
Activities undertaken under the grants program run until December 2025.
Grant recipients:
NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors – STARTTS – Group supports for Assyrian and Mandaean men
Delivering psychosocial education, and lifestyle and wellbeing group interventions for Assyrian and Mandaean communities. Group activities focus on developing mutually supportive relationships among members, and reducing isolation and stigma around help seeking for mental health support. Group members will be supported to identify signs of personal distress, learn coping strategies and be supported with knowledge and access to local services.
University of Sydney – Design-a-thon and online hub
Hosting a design-a-thon event where young people will collaborate to create an online hub for mental health literacy amongst culturally and linguistically diverse youth who identify as LGBTQIA+, along with an ongoing campaign to support the hub. The hub will include information in multiple languages and real stories of people seeking help for mental health concerns.
The Men’s Table – Peer-led group support
Establishment of Men’s Tables across South Western Sydney engaging men within their own communities in regular face-to-face group discussions. Men’s Tables are a safe and inclusive environment for participants to build social support networks and further develop help-seeking behaviours.
Mentoring Men – Community Development Officer
Co-funding of a Community Development Officer role within Mentoring Men to serve as a vital link between the organisation and the communities it serves. The Community Development Officer will foster relationships, onboard and support mentees and mentors, focus on engagement and work to expand the reach of Mentoring Men’s programs.
Batyr Australia – Batyr@school program
Batyr will extend its programs into schools to support young people to have positive conversations about mental health and help-seeking, with a focus on schools with high culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. The program delivers evidence-based, peer-to-peer mental health suicide prevention activities for high school students. The program aims to reduce stigma and strengthen help-seeking behaviours, mental health knowledge and community connection.
Mackillop Seasons – Seasons for Growth Adult program
Mackillop Seasons will deliver the Seasons for Growth Adult program, a two-day training program for up to 40 professionals to deliver small group grief education programs within their local community. The program focuses on training, mentoring and building capacity within communities to provide location-based small group programs for adults and parents following experiences of suicide.
Parents Beyond Break-up – Drop-in support groups
Facilitation of new weekly ‘in-person’ support groups for separated men and dads in South Western Sydney. The drop-in sessions will be supplemented to include volunteer peer mentors who will work across the region ensuring less populated areas are covered with support.
Prosper Australia – ‘Looking for Change’ podcast series, training and communications campaign
Multiple approaches to combating suicidal ideation associated with financial hardship, including creation of a podcast and visual series, online training package and training webinar, development of awareness raising material such as a conversation starter kit for financial counsellors and emergency relief providers, and direct communications campaign highlighting support services, fostering awareness, encouraging help-seeking and reducing stigma.
Folkal/Ironbark – Eight-week therapeutic photography and support group
Facilitation of a series of support groups working in conjunction with therapeutic photography programs aimed at those experiencing suicidal ideation, as well as carers of suicidal persons and those bereaved from suicide. The support groups remain the same for the duration of the eight-week program giving participants an opportunity to form relationships, increase social connectedness and reduce stigma through shared experiences in a safe space. At the conclusion of the group sessions participants can also participate in a photovoice public awareness campaign using their photographs.