Jo Drayton The National Suicide Prevention Conference 2024

Jo Drayton

Jo has worked in primary mental health and suicide prevention for over two decades. Her position as Wheatbelt Suicide Prevention Coordinator is funded by the Mental Health Commission’s via the WA Suicide Prevention Framework 2021 – 2025, with her position being auspiced by Holyoake’s Wheatbelt Community Alcohol and Drug Service. Jo’s position covers the entire Wheatbelt region of Western Australia (220+ communities and 43 Local Government Area’s). Jo is an accredited Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention, Rural Minds and safeTALK (Living Works) facilitator and also delivers a suite of tailor-made workshops and presentations. Jo collaborates with a variety of stakeholders/agencies and communities in her work in mental health and wellbeing & suicide prevention which has culminated in the development of Community Wellbeing Plans. Jo also supports Postvention responses which provide support to families, workplaces, sporting clubs and communities bereaved or impacted by suicide. Professional Self Care and Workplace Wellbeing also falls within her portfolios, and Jo has developed workshops and training packages into a variety of Government and Non-Government across many sectors. Jo is the Chair of the Wheatbelt Suicide Prevention Advisory Forum committee and the Wheatbelt Human Services Managers Forum (which she has instigated the adoption of working within a Collective Impact Framework to enable collaborative cross-sectoral regional collaborations to mitigate harms across the 5 identified priority areas of the Wheatbelt District Leadership Group), a member of the Wheatbelt Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drug Collaborative and the Wheatbelt District Leadership Group. Jo also coordinates/moderates the Wheatbelt Professionals Wellbeing Portal and the Wheatbelt Suicide Prevention Project Portal and co-produces Yirra Koorl – the Wheatbelt Prevention & Wellbeing Newsletter. During her time in the sector, Jo has had the opportunity to present at National and International Conferences about her work. More recently she was invited by the then Minister of Mental Health and the then Mental Health Commissioner to join a steering committee that developed our current WA Suicide Prevention Framework 2021 to 2025. In 2020 Jo was appointed as one of the WA Representatives on Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA) State-wide Committees. Jo’s work has been acknowledged by her peers and the sector, receiving 5 State Awards for Excellence in Injury Prevention, Harm Reduction and Health Promotion. Jo Drayton is also: • WA Representative for Suicide Prevention Australia • Invited by the Minister for Mental Health and the Mental Health Commissioner to join the Steering Group to help create the WA Suicide Prevention Framework 2021-2025 • Chair of the Wheatbelt Human Services Managers Forum • Chair of the Wheatbelt Suicide Prevention Advisory Forum • Conceptualised and developed the first Community Wellbeing Plan in Western Australia – Community Wellbeing Plans have now been embedded in all SPC Contracts across Western Australia by the WA Mental Health Commission. Facilitated the development and is Chair of the 6 Community Wellbeing Plans spread across the Wheatbelt (Moora, Northam, Dalwallinu, Narembeen, Southern Cross & Pingelly) • Member of Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Training Reference Group • Member of the Wheatbelt District Leadership Group • Member and Chair of the Wheatbelt Mental Health Week Planning Committee • Member of the Wheatbelt Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drug Collaborative • Member of the Wheatbelt Critical Incident Response Group • Member of the Northam Postvention Committee • Member of Connect Groups Sector Advisory Network • Member of Holyoake’s Wellbeing Committee • Member of Holyoake’s Reconciliation Committee • Member of State-wide Suicide Prevention Coordinator Network • Member of Wheatbelt & Beyond Youth Mentoring Committee • Member of Wheatbelt District Health & Nursing Advisory Group • Member of Wheatbelt Regional Aboriginal Health Planning Forum • Member of WA Country Health Service – Wheatbelt Health and Wellbeing Plan Reference Committee • Organising Committee Member of the National Network of Mental Health Promotion Practitioners • Member of Preventing Violence Together Network • Coordinates/Moderates the Wheatbelt Professionals Wellbeing Portal • Regularly attends the Wheatbelt Mental Health Consumer Advisory Group Awards – • INJURY MATTERS 2017 Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion Awards – Highly Commended in Regional or Remote Injury Prevention or Safety Promotion – Holyoake WCADS • WANADA 2018 Alcohol and Other Drug Excellence Awards – Prevention Category Winner – Holyoake • INJURY MATTERS 2021 Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion Awards – Outstanding Achievement in Injury Prevention or Safety Promotion – Holyoake WCADS Prevention Team • INJURY MATTERS 2021 Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion Awards – Outstanding Achievement in Collaboration for a Safer WA – Holyoake WCADS Prevention Team • INJURY MATTERS 2023 – Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion Swards - Highly Commended – Excellence in Injury Prevention and Health Promotion – Wheatbelt Suicide Prevention Project (WSPP) • AUSTRALIAN HEALTH PROMTION ASSOCATION (AHPA) 2023 – Winner - Excellence in Health Promotion Organisation – Holyoake Prevention Team • WESTERN AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS – Semi Finalist - Mental Health and Wellbeing Award – Wheatbelt Suicide Prevention Project (WSPP) • WA MENTAL HEALTH AWARDS – Prevention & Promotion – Finalist (awaiting outcome 23rd November 2023) – Wheatbelt Suicide Prevention Project (WSPP) Previous Conference Facilitation: • 2015 Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium – Ballarat • 2016 WA Mental Health Conference • 2018 World & National Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference – Perth • 2018 Wheatbelt WALGA Conference • 2019 WAPOL Wheatbelt OIC Conference • 2020 Preventative Health Conference (postponed due to COVID-19) • 2020 WAPOL Wheatbelt OIC Conference (postponed due to COVID-19) • 2021 Injury Prevention Summit – Success in the West • 2023 National Suicide Prevention Conference - Canberra Facilitator Accreditation: • Accredited Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Facilitator (Facilitated over 60 Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Workshops) • Accredited safeTALK Facilitator (Living Works) • Accredited Rural Minds Facilitator (Rural and Remote Mental Health) • Accredited Facilitator – Accidental Counsellor – Suicide Prevention Programs • Delivers Workplace Wellbeing and Professional Self-Care Presentation to organisations and community groups throughout the Wheatbelt (government and non-government). • Delivers Management of Burnout Fatigue, Burnout and Compassion Fatigue to First Responders throughout the Wheatbelt.