Keeping Country Kids Safe and Reducing Youth Suicide reports

The Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian has released the Keeping Country Kids Safe Final Report and Reducing Youth Suicide in Queensland Final Report.

The Keeping Country Kids Safe project has examined the accidental (non-intentional) deaths of children from country communities between 2004 and 2008 using the Commission’s Child Death Register data.

The key research outcome of the project remains that children living in country Queensland communities die from accidents (non-intentional injuries) at a rate 2.4 times the rate of those living in cities. The report highlights key safety messages, based on analysis of the data and consultation with rural communities, and recommends opportunities for future action to help prevent child death and injury in rural areas.

The second report released, Reducing Youth Suicide in Queensland Final Report, provides a solid and contemporary evidence base to help target future efforts at reducing youth suicide in Queensland.

The Reducing Youth Suicide in Queensland project seeks to support current and future efforts to prevent suicide deaths and related injury to children and young people.

By improving our understanding of the factors that increase suicide risk among children and young people, researchers, service providers and the community can use this information to explore and action ways to intervene and protect the lives of some of Queensland’s most vulnerable youth.

In 2009–10 suicide became the leading cause of death for 15–17 year olds in Queensland (exceeding transport fatalities for the first time). This was repeated in 2010–11.

The Commission holds a unique evidence base on the deaths of Queensland children and young people under the Child Death Register and has partnered with organisations such as the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (within the Department of Justice and Attorney-General), Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU) and the State Coroner, to present a comprehensive and contemporary picture of risk factors and rates of suicide deaths and injuries.

If you are undertaking research into child death prevention initiatives and seeking access to the Child Death Register please email data@ccypcg.qld.gov.au

For further information you can view the reports here or email the Child Death Review team for further information or to comment.

Last Updated: October 24, 2011

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