Suicide Prevention

CORES Program

We are also currently working with the Southern Midlands Regional Health Service and the Central Highlands Regional Health Service to introduce the CORESTM (Community Response to Eliminating Suicide) Program into the Southern Midlands, Central Highlands and Glamorgan Spring Bay Areas.

The CORES program originally set up as a result of a community meeting held in Sheffield in 2003. The purpose of the meeting was to address the unusually high rate of suicide.

CORESTM is a holistic training and support package that builds a community’s strength and capacity to prevent suicide.
The package offers comprehensive mentoring and support to communities and flexible training through a simple yet effective intervention model.
It empowers local communities to recognise the signs and indicators of suicide and gives people the confidence and skills to intervene before a crisis occurs.
Participants learn the importance of being direct; it gives people the confidence to help someone at risk and to refer on to appropriate services.

The philosophy that underpins the Program is: “The more people from within a community who complete the training, the less likelihood there is of someone at risk not receiving help. It empowers communities to watch out for each other.”

The CORESTM Program is successful because:
The local community takes responsibility for presenting the training to their own community and therefore a greater sense of ownership by the community.

Six months support is an effective period which gives sufficient time for the local community to both understand and take full advantage of regular visits and mentoring from Kentish Regional Clinic.

The program does not require detailed knowledge or any skills which people do not already have and is at the level where people feel comfortable about using their new skills.
The program serves as a link between a social problem and specialised services available within, and beyond a community. Significantly, the program does not impinge upon the practices of specialised services but leads individuals to them.

The Kentish Regional Clinic is an Incorporated Organisation and is run by a Board. The Clinic’s primary role is to coordinate and deliver the CORESTM Program (Community Response to Eliminating Suicide).