Supporting Australian communities in safe communication about suicide
The Mindframe team often presents to various stakeholders and audiences to build and maintain collaborative working relationships. Due to COVID, our training is conducted online.
The team liaises with those in the Australian news media, suicide prevention and mental health sector, tertiary institutions and film and television industries to support best practice communication for the safe and accurate portrayal of suicide and mental ill-health.
For this reason, Mindframe is turning the spotlight on Mindframe Plus and why it’s an option for supporting the work of PHNs across the country.
What is Mindframe Plus?
Mindframe uses an evidence-based, systems approach to education and training that supports key sectors to develop safe communication around suicide and mental ill-health.
Mindframe Plus is an intensive version of Mindframe training, which goes beyond the core support and regional approaches provided in the core training.
It aims to:
- Support local organisations and sectors to build collaborative relationships with local and state news media
- Guide and empower local and state news media to follow Mindframe guidelines
- Reduce risk and harm to vulnerable members of the community
- Assist local stakeholders to make informed decisions proactively about suicide prevention via media and social media
- Provide practical guidance on application of the Mindframe guidelines
- Encourage the implementation of an agreed media strategy and communications protocol.
Why is it important?
Often community representatives within PHNs or suicide prevention trial sites are ill-prepared to manage media following a critical incident involving suicide.
Through Mindframe Plus PHNs, local stakeholders and media are provided with the evidence-base and guidance to communicate safely about suicide in line with Mindframe guidelines, to reduce the incidence of negative and harmful media coverage.
By supporting the development of positive local media coverage around suicide, local stakeholders and media can assist to increase help-seeking behaviour and reduce the impact of stigma.
Why do organisations need Mindframe training?
Often community representatives within Primary Health Networks (PHNs) or local trial site locations are ill-prepared to manage media following a critical incident involving suicide or mental illness.
Like-wise local media may be unaware of the impact of unsafe discussion, portrayal and reporting can have on communities.
There are two problems which arise from this combination, largely the lack of co-ordinated messaging and the risk of potentially harmful coverage.
Through this training, PHNs and stakeholders who engage with media learn how to develop a local action plan for community support following an incident.
For media it provides them with clear parameters for how to report and portray suicide and mental illness safely to communities in a way that encourages help-seeking behaviour.
To find out more on Mindframe Plus, please contact a member of the Mindframe team via:
Phone: 02 4924 6904
Email: [email protected]