OUR PATRON

Her Excellency the Governor of Queensland

Ms Quentin Bryce, AC

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CAPS consists of a group of dedicated individuals who have been touched by suicide in various ways.

The Key Objectives of CAPS are:

• To establish and maintain ongoing operations of services and facilities which provide care and/or counselling for people with suicide ideation
• To support a sustainable funding base for practical activities and/or research into the prevention of suicide
• To create awareness of, and to, destigmatise the issue of suicide through appropriate and responsible media communication
• To implement properly researched and evaluated suicide prevention education programmes;
• To raise awareness of the relevance of scientifically based research into the prevention of suicide.

The Executive of CAPS currently includes:

CAPS President
Richard Roberts B.Com LLB

As the founding and current President, Richard is also the Director, Infrastructure Investments at Super Investment Management Pty Ltd. He has extensive finance experience as well as a widespread involvement in a range of community activities.

Richard says
“We lost our beloved daughter, Susannah, through suicide when she was 15 years old. Susannah became deeply depressed and gave indications of suicide ideation prior to her death.”

“I am passionate in wanting to ensure that many more of our loved ones who suffer similar or other circumstances to Susannah can survive to lead a full life.”

CAPS Secretary
Ms. Penny Vandeleur
TAFE, English as a second language Teacher

Penny says

"I lost my 27 year old sister in 1987, she had been in and out of psychiatric care for 2 years previous to her suicide. My 36 year old brother suicided in 2002, he was being treated for depression. So I have a close knowledge of the complexities of suicide and an awareness of the difficulties faced by the medical model in preventing it. CAPS has provided me with the opportunity to be involved in suicide prevention at a community level, outside (but also working with) the mental health system".

CAPS Treasurer, Mr. Kevin Blinco: (B. Bus; Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountant) is a Director of Moore Stephens Queensland. Kevin is recognised as an expert within a multitude of business environments including not for profit.

Management Committee Members:

Mr. Peter Annand: Peter is an experienced company director. He is currently Chairman of Sunsuper and Deputy Commissioner of the Private Health Insurance Administration Council. 

Mr Paul Sparshott: (B App Sc; MBA) is the Managing Director of Satori Resorts Pty Ltd. Paul has extensive experience in project development and management both nationally and internationally. 

Dr. Rod Roberts: is a Specialist Gastroenterologist/Medical Practitioner who practices in Brisbane. He has been in practice for many years and is widely known and respected among the medical fraternity, both in Queensland and Australia wide.

The Management Committee has appointed Carla Pearse as CEO to take CAPS into the future.

Carla Pearse B. Soc Sc; B. Couns; M Int Stud

Carla has had over 20 years in the community sector, with her previous role being the General Manager of Lifeline in Caboolture. She has extensive experience and a great passion for suicide prevention and intervention.

PILOT PROJECT - SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCE AND SUPPORT SERVICE.

This service will operate on a three year pilot basis commencing in 2008, that will ultimately cover the area from Gympie in the north, south to the Qld/NSW border and west to Laidley. The need for this service was determined by an extensive community consultation that identified this as a significant gap in current service delivery across SE Qld. Discussions with others across the nation suggests this is a gap that can be found nationally.

CAPS aims to sustainably employ at the outset of the service one qualified psychologist and one qualified counsellor. With the help of trained volunteers, this very small but committed team will listen to, respect, care for and support those people who have a concern relating to suicide. The more funds raised will allow for additional staff and consequently a more comprehensive and accessible service across the pilot region.

The Suicide Prevention Resource and Support Service will provide a unique service that is currently not available to people at risk of suicide, their families and friends. The service will provide ongoing, consistent and holistic non-clinical emotional and practical support to those at risk of suicide, their families and friends for the purpose of reducing stress, enhancing protective factors and reducing risk. The service will lead and manage a coordinated, integrated, holistic and cohesive multidisciplinary continuum of care response utilising appropriate and currently existing infrastructure, services, supports and treatments that suits the individuals concerned. CAPS will take the hand of the suicidal, their family and their friends and hold it for as long as necessary for wellbeing to improve, for suicide to no longer be an option, but to still be there should the thought of suicide arise again. CAPS will be there when the feeling arises that "there is nowhere to turn for help".

At the end of the three year pilot, the Suicide Prevention Resource and Support Service will have undergone extensive evaluation. Consideration will then be given to expanding the model outside of South East Qld to other metropolitan, rural and regional areas, as suicide knows no boundaries. We hope that with CAPS experience and expertise this model will be shared and replicated with the only limits being the resources available.

The "Give for Life" fundraising campaign is seeking financial assistance from many different sources, but primarily from caring people in the community who would like to see this need fulfilled. CAPS has DGR status and all donations over $2.00 are tax deductible.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so online by clicking on the donations/membership renewal  link on the left hand side at the top of the page. Or you can send a cheque (made payable to CAPS Inc Gift Fund) to 16 Morley Street, Toowong Q 4066.

YOUR GIFT WILL SAVE A LIFE..... SO PLEASE "GIVE FOR LIFE"

CAPS hopes to model this service on a centre, called "Maytree" that is working effectively in London, Great Britain. Both Penny and Richard have had the opportunity to visit Maytree.

• To read about Penny's visit to Maytree, please click here.
• For those interested, an external evaluation of Maytree is available here (5.5Mb PDF).

For more information on either of these projects please contact CEO Carla Pearse.