StandBy is Australia’s leading suicide postvention program dedicated to assisting people and communities bereaved or impacted by suicide.
It is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing free face to face and/or telephone support at a time and place that is best for each individual. Call 1300 727 247 for access to free phone support and to connect you to services across Australia. If you are currently having suicidal thoughts, please seek immediate assistance by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you or someone you are with is in need of immediate support call 000.
The program offers coordinated evidence-based support and resources (including connections to local services and groups) that is individualised for each person’s unique circumstance. This support is continued for up to two years to ensure those that engage with StandBy are not alone and receive ongoing support.
StandBy has a number of useful resources for workplaces, families and children impacted by suicide.
Workplaces
The Workplace toolkit and accompanying training worksheets have been designed to assist employers, managers and others in leadership roles develop and confident and best practice response through understanding and planning for potential impacts of suicide on:
- workplace response and support following the suicide of an employee and
- support for an employee bereaved by suicide.
Children and teenagers
Talking to children and teenagers about suicide can be difficult. Standby has developed two different sets of resources – a grief journal and accompanying notes for children under 12 and another set for teenagers.
Support packs
StandBy has developed 17 different leaflets to support those bereaved or impacted by suicide.
They include information in relation to what happens in the days following a death, grief, sleep, anniversaries, children and funerals, return to work, support for children, managing social stigma after suicide, unanswered questions, flashbacks and witnessing a suicide.
Public places
Developed in conjunction with Lifeline Australia, the StandBy Support After Suicide Toolkit for Site Owners and Leadership provides guidance and timely evidence based postvention support, in response to a suicide death that occurs in a public place.
This document can be used by management and those in leaders hip roles as a guide to complement existing workplace policy and procedures and to help inform decision making in the event of a public death by suicide.