Steering Straight: Adapting suicide risk safety planning as a prevention‐focused self‐management resource for the Australian farming community

Abstract

Objective This paper draws on the principles of suicide risk safety planning to co‐design a farming community resource for preventing and managing risks to mental health. Setting This project was undertaken in the Great South Coast Region of Victoria, Australia. Participants A working group (n = 6–8) from the Victorian farming community contributed to the iterative co‐design and co‐production of Steering Straight: My plan to keep on track. Twenty‐four members of the farming community pilot tested Steering Straight. Design Co‐design to develop, pilot and refine the resource with working group and target farming community. Results Steering Straight was viewed positively by the farming community as a tool that prompts prioritising well‐being; encourages reflection, planning and concrete steps towards taking action; helps set and meet personal goals; is simple and practical; and identifies pathways to support. Most participants (94%) completed Steering Straight on their own, taking approximately 15–30 min to create their personalised plan. Questions most likely to be filled in related to recognising personal signs of deteriorating well‐being and listing and planning enjoyable activities. A majority of participants (67%) kept a hard copy of their Steering Straight plan on hand to refer back to, while 78% expressed a preference for a digital version. Conclusion The co‐design and co‐production process resulted in a tailored prevention‐focused resource that was accepted and valued by the farming community.