History of MCSP

Western Australia was the first Australian state to develop a comprehensive, state-wide strategy to address the problem of youth suicide that had emerged as a concern in the late 1980s.

The state strategy for suicide prevention was initiated in September 1988 when the then Minister for Health, the Hon. Keith Wilson, commissioned a Youth Suicide Working Party. This followed growing professional and public concern at the steady increase in youth suicide, which, at that time, exceeded the national figure by almost 30%.

A steering committee, later known as the Youth Suicide Advisory Committee (YSAC), was established to implement the Working Party recommendations. The committee has continued, since that time, to monitor and extend suicide prevention initiatives across the state.

In 1996 the then Minister for Health, the Hon. Kevin Prince, extended the remit of the Committee to include a focus on the following key issues:

• Prevention of suicide among Aboriginal youth.
  The Aboriginal youth suicide prevention policy developed through community consultation by an Aboriginal working group of the YSAC, was adopted as government policy in November 1998 [1]. The Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Steering Committee (ASPSC) has overseen implementation of the policy recommendations and continues to be supported by the Council.
• Systematic development of universal strategies of prevention.
  Universal strategies of prevention target the general population of young people with the aim of promoting positive mental health and well being of all young people, thus preventing the onset of risk factors for suicide or self-harm. This aspect of prevention has been planned in conjunction with the former Office of Youth Affairs, now the Office for Children and Youth Department for Community Development.

In 1999/2000 the then Minister for Health, the Hon. John Day, broadened the mandate of YSAC in light of evidence that rates of suicide for young men, aged 20 to 34 years, had increased over the period 1986 to 1997 [2], to include responsibility for coordinating suicide prevention initiatives and developing strategies that will reduce suicide amongst those age and population sub groups known to be at high risk of suicide.

In November 2001 the Minister for Health, the Hon. Bob Kucera, MLA, APM, renamed YSAC the Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention (MCSP) in recognition of its broadened mandate to address suicide prevention across all age groups.