The Aftercare Services Program has launched in Western Australia providing timely, practical and compassionate support for people discharged from hospital or emergency departments following a suicide attempt or suicidal crisis.
It has been designed to provide an interim safety net during the critical period after discharge, when people can be at heightened risk and may need support to reconnect safely with community, primary care, social supports and longer-term mental health services.
Aftercare provides brief interventions, psychosocial support and care coordination for people who have made an attempt on their life or have experienced, or are experiencing, suicidal crisis. The program complements, rather than replaces, existing mental health services and aims to strengthen the transition from hospital to community-based care.
The program is jointly funded by the Australian Government and State Government, and co-commissioned by WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) and the Mental Health Commission WA.
Referral into Aftercare is through participating hospitals.
- In the Perth metropolitan area, referral sites include Royal Perth Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. The metropolitan service is delivered by Neami National.
- In the South West, referral sites include Busselton Health Campus and Bunbury Regional Hospital. The South West service is delivered by Oseca.
- In the Pilbara, referral sites include Karratha Health Campus and Hedland Health Campus. The Pilbara service is delivered by Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance.
These referral sites work in partnership with the service providers to support engagement, recovery and safe transition from hospital into community-based support.
In addition to the broader Aftercare Services Program, WAPHA is supporting culturally secure aftercare for Aboriginal people through an uplift of Culture Care Connect and other Aboriginal-specific aftercare services. These initiatives deliver culturally secure aftercare for Aboriginal individuals and families following suicidal crisis or self-harm. The model is grounded in Aboriginal cultural authority and led by Aboriginal staff. It places lived experience leadership, family-inclusive care and cultural governance at the centre of support.
The team provides responsive, trauma-informed follow-up in home and community settings, and act as key links between hospitals, primary care and social support systems. The approach supports people to stabilise, reconnect and walk through recovery and healing in a way that is culturally safe and connected to family, community and Country.
Organisations currently commissioned to provide aftercare support for Aboriginal people include:
- Moorditj Koort Aboriginal Corporation – With sites in Midland, Armadale and Parmelia, supporting communities across the South-East Urban Growth Sub-region including Armadale, Seville Grove, Kelmscott, Byford, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Cannington, Bentley, Beckenham and Queens Park.
- Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service Aboriginal Corporation – With sites in East Perth, Midland, Mirrabooka and Maddington, and outreach to hospitals and home visits as required.
- South West Aboriginal Medical Service – Supporting communities across Bunbury, Australind, Brunswick Junction, Busselton, Collie, Harvey and Manjimup.
- Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance – Supporting culturally secure aftercare in the Pilbara.
These Aboriginal-led services provide an important pathway for people who may not present through hospital or emergency department settings, helping to reduce duplication, improve connection between systems and ensure support is guided by Aboriginal communities.
The Aftercare Services Program reflects a coordinated effort to improve mental health outcomes in Western Australia and to ensure people experiencing suicidal crisis are not left to navigate recovery alone.