Co-design for a New Aftercare Service for LGBTQIA+SB Community Members Experiencing Suicidal Distress

The challenge in this project was to ensure diverse representation of people from the LGBTIQA+ community who had experienced suicidal distress and were willing to engage in co-design sessions on the highly sensitive topic of suicide in a workshop setting. This included creating safe and genuine spaces, facilitators with lived experience greatly assisted with this. A flexible methodology that maximised input from over 60 co-designers within time and budget constraints. Designing a service that is clinical but is co-designed by non-clinical co-designers represented further challenges, co-designers were invited to call out jargon and designed the service in accessible, non-clinical language.

To ensure safety and inclusion, separate co-design sessions were held with specific communities based on advice from LGBTIQA+ project leaders. Switchboard Victoria led phased recruitment using an intersectional matrix to ensure diversity and allow time to onboard participants. Peer and social workers supported sessions to provide psychological care and foster a safe environment.

This project was initiated in response to recommendation 27.2(a) of Victoria’s Mental Health Royal Commission. It aimed to create an aftercare model for LGBTIQA+ communities that was safe, inclusive, and community-led. 10 co-design groups reflected the community’s diversity. Broader feedback was gathered through Social Pinpoint and service providers. Impact Co. produced a report outlining a care model based on shared principles from the co-design process. The aftercare model has now been implemented and funded by the Victorian Government.

The project was co-led by LGBTIQA+ community members and grounded in a trauma-informed approach, prioritising safety, trust, choice, strength, and collaboration. Each session included a peer worker and social worker to offer support. To address power imbalances, sessions featured varied in- and out-of-session activities, identity-specific groups (e.g., people with disabilities), and peer co-facilitators to ensure all voices were heard. Intersectionality was a key focus, engaging individuals with overlapping identities and empowering them to express and advocate for their full selves. The process honoured the diverse experiences of participants and the unique ways their identities intersect. Humility was central to the methodology, with an openness to ongoing learning. Facilitators engaged in regular deep dive sessions to reflect, learn, and adapt the process based on emerging insights. This iterative approach helped maintain responsiveness and integrity throughout the co-design journey.