Policy Development in Australia Assignment Sample

Subject Name : Policy Development

Reducing Suicide Rate of Indigenous Population

Introduction to Policy Development

The purpose of the paper is to discuss the rate of the high suicides experienced within the Aboriginal groups and the required policy developments to prevent and reduce the rate. As per the ABS Causes of Death 2018, the Indigenous Australians have been deeply been suffering from the suicidal trends and have been emerging causes among the age group of five and 17. Since the period of 2014- 2018, the children have accounted a quarter to the close to child suicide deaths (85 of 357 deaths), and the rate of per suicidal cases has been 8.3 deaths per 100,000, in comparison to the 2.1 per 100,000 for non-Indigenous children (Jackson, 2019). During the peak medical along with the health bodies have made the Indigenous child suicides a national emergency declared by Prime Minister Scott Morrison after observing the five Aboriginal girls' death within the age group between 12 and 15 in one month (Stronach, 2019). As the suicidal rates have grown, there are approximately 135 people that have been affected due to the suicide death, of 400,000+ Australians has been impacted, as their close ones within the family members or close ones.. The rate of suicides has deeply impacted the entire communities creating a ripple effect (Paradies, 2018).

Case Analysis

The prime objective while reducing the suicide behavior among Aboriginal peoples has become one of the leading public health priorities for all Australian governments and as indicated the rate of the suicide in Australia has shown on an average of 100 people of Aboriginal people that have ended their lives within 10 year period from 2001-2010. While in 2010 the rate of deaths has shown a remarkable rate of 4.2% of registered deaths of Aboriginal peoples (especially within the NSW, Qld, WA, and in the SA NT combined). Subsequently, the rate of suicide deaths are falling within the age profiles of the two populations, the suicide rate has increased by 2.6 times within the Aboriginal people in comparison to the non-Indigenous Australians. As per the 2012 ABS data the rate of deaths has been twice that of non-Indigenous people, showing the rate ratio of 2.0 for males and within the females to be 1.9.

As such, there has been no significant variation in the age-standardized rates within the cluster areas suicides. The suicide age groups occurring before the 35 years of age is higher in the Aboriginal groups in comparison to the non-Indigenous Australians, and the difference of the rates of high suicidals has been predominantly been high in the 20-24 years age group for females along with the 25-29 years age group for males (Durie, 2019). As shown an increased Aboriginal has accounted for males deaths within the age group of 25 and 29 years of age (90.8 suicide cases within the 100,000 population), subsequently the four times in comparison to the rate of non-Indigenous males. In comparison to the female's rate of suicide has been 20-24 age group (21.8 suicide cases within the 100,000 population), bearing the high rate of occurrence has been five times in comparison to the other community groups (Hossain, 2019).

Age-Standardized Rates of Suicide (Source, Dudgeon, 2016)

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Deaths has shown the substance misuse to overcome the mental health disorders in the years experiencing the violent past (for example, forcibly experiencing the separation from the natural families as children). The other prevalent reasons are the interconnected issues faced such as the cultural dislocation, facing the personal trauma along with experiencing the ongoing stresses due to the disadvantage, racism, facing the alienation and exclusion has caused the higher rate of mental health deterioration and even has to lead to higher substance use among the Aboriginal people (Christensen, 2016).

Policy Development

In order to establish the policy development, the first purpose is to identify the strategic platform that could lead to the adoption of the LiFE Framework, which is noted to be an evidence-based strategic framework which can be the population approach for the suicide prevention and provides a guide for developing strategies to overcome the identifying resources that can help to assist during the implementation plans (Christensen, 2016).. The strategy of the policy development would also include the below findings-:

To include the Fourth National Mental Health Plan
To understand the ‘Closing the Gap’ commitments along with experiencing the National Indigenous Reform agreements;
The check base the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal within the period of 2003-2013 and involving the national plans for the Health Plan (in development);
To understand how the people are actively involved in the Drug Strategy (in development)
To work in accordance with the National Strategic Framework for Social and Emotional Wellbeing
To provide the roadmap in accordance with the National Mental Health Reform 2012-2022
To provide the State prevention strategies (Dickson, 2019).

The prevention strategies and the policies development would also include the below-:

To reduce the incidence and gradually experiencing suicide behavior among the Aboriginal population has been largely been due to the specific communities that have been affected due to suicide.
To provide the Aboriginal communities and populations with adequate support resources to respond and aim for the suicide and/or facing the self-harming behavior.
Subsequently, through the effective activities, it is necessary reduce and impacts of the factors that can contribute to the suicide outcomes that could be experienced in any time of life (Fogarty, 2016).
To encourage the participation of Aboriginal people within the workforce and to also reduce the suicide prevention, to have early intervention, social and emotional wellbeing which could additionally be providing the training, skills and even ascertain the professional within the levels.
To build throughout evidence base that can consecutively be supporting effective action and further suicide prevention activity experience (Durie, 2017).

Social and Emotional Wellbeing

Suicide has been observed to be one of the multidimensional issues, causing the devastating impact due to the individuals and families and facing the ongoing communities (Hossain, 2019). The Aboriginal people often experience the high rate of the complex set of the factors and the high cases of the suicides are due to the disadvantage and risk factors faced, along with experiencing the social, economic, and historic determinations impacting the wellbeing and mental health. As per the National Aboriginal along with the Mental Health (2004) have identified the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal people Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing that descrives the adequate steps to secure a better ‘mental health’. Within the Aboriginal mental health holistic context which encompasses mental health including the physical, cultural along experiencing spiritual health (Jackson, 2019). As the Aboriginal people are emotional about their wellbeing and to focus on the harmony of such interrelations can disrupt to overcome the ill health persists. As such, there is no culture or group, but adequately facing the numerous groupings, languages, kinships along with facing the tribes as well as ways of living. All this holds a special meaning for the universal prevention strategies, and to identify the strong, resilient communities that can focus on the social and emotional wellbeing designed through the local strategies. The policy includes the steps to preserve the mental health would aim for the illness or clinical perspective and to provide a high focus on the level of functioning within the environment (Paradies, 2018).

Prevention Strategy

The Prevention Strategy would focus on providing the holistic mental health, physical, facing the cultural and spiritual health that could experience the intervention focus and also building strong communities. Through the consistent prevention policy to attain the community-focused and integrated approaches that can control the suicide prevention and it is important to step up and overcome ways for the peoples to develop local, additionally including the culturally appropriate strategies for the better community (Coppersmith, 2018).

Building Strengths and Increasing the Capacity

The prevention strategy is to identify the strengths, include in the capacity which can help to overcome suicide. The strategy would be focused on the two dimensions: which are to bring in the encouragement for the leadership, action, to attain a better responsibility for suicide prevention and work over the ways to combat the communities (Dickson, 2019). The steps also include focusing on the development, implementation, and even actively involve the improvement of preventive services and the intervention for the communities and their members. It is important to ascertain the dimension through the engagement of communities and to develop a course of awareness that can help to control the suicidal rate. The other strategies are to derive the plan of action, to determine the strategies that are appropriately aimed for the community, and to also attain an action plan. As ascertained, within the communities, to hold key respect for the local cultures, attain the strengths and histories that could help ascertain and correct the differences in social relationships along with noting the possibilities for action that can work in the normal settings. Other dimension involves of the community safety and for the overall wellbeing (Coppersmith, 2018).

Outcome 1.1 Communities attaining to initiate, plan, lead and sustain strategies

Outcome 1.2 To provide the materials and resources aimed at providing the needs of Aboriginal peoples belonging in diverse community settings.

Building Strengths and Resilience

For the families and children the adversities faced during early childhood. It is important to ascertain an ongoing work with universal services—and to build better communities' strengths and competencies along with the ways to overcome the risk and adversity. The children are also vulnerable to self-harm in later life and te strategies such as prevention can help to control the lifespan and to provide better social and emotional competencies (Christensen, 2016).

Outcome 2.1 To have the culturally community that can engage youth, aim for the strengths and the competencies

Outcome 2.2 To hold a better life promotion that can be developed aiming for the wellbeing services.

Outcome 2.3 To focus on the long-term, attainment of the sustainable prevention strategies and also ensure the resilience ways to promote the social and emotional wellbeing (Coppersmith, 2018)

Conclusion on Policy Development in Australia

Within Australia, facing a high rate of cases in the suicide that has been widely observed rare occurrence in the Aboriginal people. The rate of suicides happens during the age group of 15 and 24 which include a higher rate of committing suicide in comparison to the non-Indigenous people the same age. As per the Australian Bureau of Statistics describes the overall suicidal age has slightly been negative in comparison to the 2017 figures (3046 to 3128). While making the policy development, the main aim is to develop the findings such as integrate the information and resources to researchers, include the policymakers, professionals along holding the community people. The objectives and goals, it is important to achieve the implementation of the strategy and it would involve the strategies at various levels administrative and even holding the community sectors along with the research within the communities. Subsequently, the rate of the self-harm that has presented a different picture, identifying the rate of hospitalization for intentional self-harm has been higher in comparison to the other suicide for both Aboriginal along with non-Indigenous persons, as the rate of females that have been hospitalized higher rates than males.

References for Policy Development in Australia

Campbell, M. A., Hunt, J., Scrimgeour, D. J., Davey, M., & Jones, V. (2018). Contribution of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services to improving Aboriginal health: an evidence review. Australian Health Review, 42(2), 218-226.

Cenderadewi, M., Franklin, R. C., Peden, A. E., & Devine, S. (2019). The pattern of intentional drowning mortality: a total population retrospective cohort study in Australia, 2006–2014. BMC public health, 19(1), 207.

Christensen, H. (2016). Suicide prevention in Australia: Where to from here. Psych: The Bulletin of the Australian Psychological Society, 38.

Coppersmith, D. D., Nada-Raja, S., & Beautrais, A. L. (2018). An examination of suicide research and funding in New Zealand 2006–16: implications for new research and policies. Australian health review, 42(3), 356-360.

Dickson, J. M., Cruise, K., McCall, C. A., & Taylor, P. J. (2019). A systematic review of the antecedents and prevalence of suicide, self-harm, and suicide ideation in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(17), 3154.

Dudgeon, P., Calma, T., & Holland, C. (2017). The context and causes of the suicide of Indigenous people in Australia. Journal of Indigenous Wellbeing, 2(2), 5-15.

Dudgeon, P., Calma, T., Brideson, T., & Holland, C. (2016). The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration–a call to action for aboriginal and Torres strait islander leadership in the Australian mental health system. Advances in Mental Health, 14(2), 126-139.

Durie, M. (2017). Indigenous suicide: the turamarama declaration. Journal of Indigenous Wellbeing, 2(2), 59-67.

Fogarty, W., Bulloch, H., McDonnell, S., & Davis, M. (2018). Deficit Discourse and Indigenous Health: How narrative framings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are reproduced in the policy. Deficit Discourse and Indigenous Health: How Narrative Framings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Are Reproduced in Policy, xii.

Hossain, B., & Lamb, L. (2019). Economic insecurity and psychological distress among indigenous Canadians. The Journal of Developing Areas, 53(1).

Jackson, K., Roberts, R., & McKay, R. (2019). Older people's mental health in rural areas: Converting policy into service development, service access, and a sustainable workforce. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 27(4), 358-365.

Paradies, Y. (2018). Racism and indigenous health. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health.

Stronach, M., Maxwell, H., & Pearce, S. (2019). Indigenous Australian women promoting health through sport. Sport Management Review, 22(1), 5-20.

Wilk, P., Cooke, M., Stranges, S., & Maltby, A. (2018). Reducing health disparities among Indigenous populations: the role of collaborative approaches to improve public health systems.

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