Australia needs accessible, peer-led alternatives to emergency departments for people experiencing distress or suicidal crisis.
For many people, emergency departments are the only in-person option available during a crisis, particularly after hours. However, EDs are often not designed to provide the calm, relational and trauma-informed support people need when experiencing acute distress. Long wait times, overstimulating environments and limited privacy can heighten distress and deter future help-seeking.
Safe spaces offer a different response. These services provide immediate, compassionate support in welcoming, non-clinical environments, often led by people with lived experience. They help people feel heard, regain a sense of safety, explore what is contributing to their distress and connect with ongoing support where needed.
Evidence from Australian safe space models shows they can reduce distress, support suicide prevention, improve people’s experience of care and reduce avoidable demand on emergency departments. Despite this, access to safe spaces remains uneven across Australia, with many services limited by short-term funding, workforce shortages and inconsistent commissioning.
Neami’s position
Neami’s position statement outlines the role of safe spaces as a vital part of Australia’s mental health and suicide prevention system. It calls for governments to expand access to peer-led safe spaces, protect fidelity to lived experience-led models, invest in workforce capability and sustainability, and strengthen integration with aftercare, community mental health, housing, legal and other local supports.