Poverty and social exclusion play a big role in Indigenous child suicide. The causes are complex, but we know enough to act now to reduce the number of deaths in our communities.

This report brings together the voices of Elders and community leaders from across affected communities that wished to speak publicly about the causes and solutions needed to address this issue of Indigenous self-harm and youth suicide.

In June 2018, the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention facilitated a workshop to investigate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lived experiences of suicide. The aims of the workshop were to ensure the meaningful inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in an overall Lived Experience Project.

This background paper presents an overview of suicide in Indigenous peoples in countries where there is a dominant white society. The countries reviewed for suicide rates were Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada, the United States of America, Greenland, and Scandinavian countries of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia.

This is the second guide intended to support Primary Health Networks (PHNs) working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to co-design and co-implement integrated approaches to suicide prevention.