SPR30831 WLF SPA WhitePaper v12 - Flipbook - Page 3
Foreword
Wesley Mission
Implementing effective solutions to protect Australian lives
requires a whole of government and whole of community
approach. Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic
has practically demonstrated the success that a joined-up
approach can have.
A popular analogy describing the impact of the COVID-19 crisis is, ‘we’re
all in the same storm, but not in the same boat’. This bears out in our
experience at Wesley Mission, with some people reaching a point of crisis
within days and many others who, after months of increased isolation or
having depleted their available resources, will find themselves in crisis
even after the significant threat of the virus has passed. Understanding the
social and economic factors that underlie distress and increase people’s
vulnerability to suicidality is critical if we are to address the important
secondary impacts of this pandemic.
Suicide prevention has been essential to the work of Wesley Mission since
the then Superintendent, Rev Sir Alan Walker, began Lifeline in 1963.
Responding to the growing number of suicide deaths in Australia, Wesley
LifeForce was established in 1995 and is a national program providing
suicide prevention services that educate and empower local communities,
supporting people most at risk. More than 40,000 people have been
trained through the program to intervene to prevent suicide.
In this paper you will hear reflected the voices of people from some of the
more than 100 community-led networks who have reported on the impact
that the COVID-19 pandemic has had in their local community. With a
presence in every state and experience in areas where the problem of
suicide hits the hardest Wesley LifeForce Networks are uniquely able to
engage Australia’s diverse communities at a grassroots level.
Also included are perspectives from frontline Wesley Mission teams in
the areas of homelessness, early intervention work with children and their
families, financial and gambling counselling, mental health support for
older people along with emergency relief services. The recommendations
provided in this paper are proposed to alleviate the distress experienced
by the vulnerable people that Wesley Mission’s services connect with
every day.
We are proud to be a member organisation of Suicide Prevention Australia
and to partner with a national peak body that powerfully advocates for this
most vital issue. Together, we invite you to consider how we can all
contribute and advocate for solutions to support a resilient Australia.
Rev Keith V Garner AM
CEO/Superintendent
Reducing distress in the community following the COVID-19 pandemic
June 2020
3