About
SPLEWDI
A summary of the background, aims and people involved in SPLEWDI…
What was SPLEWDI?
The Suicide Prevention Lived Experience Workforce Development Initiative (SPLEWDI) was a regional approach to developing and supporting the suicide prevention Lived Experience workforce in Central and Eastern Sydney.
SPLEWDI was led by Beacon Strategies together with Lived Experience expert Carrie Lumby, with funding support provided by the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN.
SPLEWDI aims to bring together the best available evidence alongside local knowledge to create and deliver an Action Plan that was delivered from early 2024 through to June 2025. This plan included various workforce development activities that were made available to those working in the Lived Experience workforce in suicide prevention in Central and Eastern Sydney.
The work was overseen by a guiding coalition of Lived Experience workers living and/or working across the region. Coalition members contributed extensive knowledge, skills and experience to the project from across a range of Lived Experience contexts, including peer support, community advocacy and systems/policy work.
Background
SPLEWDI was one priority of the Targeted Regional Initiatives for Suicide Prevention (TRISP) funding that was provided by CESPHN.
Back in 2023, CESPHN undertook a consultation process to explore how to strengthen the support available for people at risk of suicide in the region. This involved service providers, Aboriginal community leaders and people with lived experience.
A key theme from the consultation was that while the emerging lived experience workforce and peer-led services are important, more support is needed to grow, develop and support this workforce at a regional level.
A recommendation ‘to develop a lived experience (peer) workforce development strategy’ for the region has led to SPLEWDI.
[There is a] need for a regional and coordinated approach to grow, support, develop and connect the suicide prevention lived experience workforce … the aspiration is that this will ultimately lead to better experiences for people experiencing emotional distress and people accessing suicide prevention and support services.
Where are things up to?
As a time-limited program of activities, SPLEWDI came to its planned end in June 2025.
Please take a look at our latest updates to read about what was delivered throughout the project. We published a summary of outcomes and reflections from the project in September 2025 that we hope will help to inform future Lived Experience workforce development activities, both within the Central and Eastern Sydney region and in other regions across Australia.
If you’d like to learn more about SPLEWDI or speak with members of the project team, please contact us via email to info@beaconstrategies.com.au.