Post-suicide services across the state have received a boost in funding, increasing the support services available to those who have lost a loved one. 

Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor announced the boost in funding on Friday, saying that post-suicide support is critical to loved ones as well as the wider community. 

“We know that around 135 people can be impacted by a single suicide,” Mrs Taylor said. 

The funding has brought StandBy Support After Suicide – a new post-suicide program - to life in Australia over the past year, in partnership with organisations like Social Futures in Western NSW to deliver the service.

Social Futures CEO David Thompson said that the new program is a one-of-a-kind approach to suicide prevention. 

“There is nothing quite like this in the suicide prevention space, nothing at looking at what we do after the fact. Evidence shows that people who are impacted by suicide are at high risk themselves, so this program can be extremely useful in the prevention capacity,” Mr Thompson said. 

The service is highly thorough, tending to more than just friends and family, but to colleagues, classmates, first responders and even witnesses. In some cases, they engage the community in its entirety. 

“We link them up to appropriate support out there for them depending on the need. Sometimes it's just being alongside them, so people know there’s someone there for them,” Mr Thompson said.

“We regularly engage with them over a two-year period to make sure there is support there, checking in occasionally to make sure things are going ok,” he said. 

Practically, those services can vary from face to face or on the phone, offering counselling, assistance accessing financial assistance, and guidance through the coronial process. 

Introduced just last year, Mr Thompson said that the service would have been critical in Western NSW during periods of droughts and will prove itself to be in the future. 

“Unfortunately, the program wasn’t available in previous seasons where we are conscious it was certainly a big impact on the community. Fortunately now, we have the StandBy service operating out there and will hopefully see better support for regional New South Wales,” Mr Thompson said. 

The new funding will be delegated throughout the regions to boost these services in the coming years. According to Mr Thompson, having more people on the ground will be a priority in Western NSW to adequately service such a large area, from Dubbo to Broken Hill.