Parents Beyond Breakup (PBB) has been awarded Suicide Prevention Australia’s NSW LiFE Award for Excellence in Suicide Prevention for Priority Populations, recognising the organisation’s leadership in saving more men from suicide.
“This award shines a light on the plight of fathers across Australia who are in distress through relationship breakdown,” said PBB CEO Gillian Hunt.
“We are honoured to receive this recognition of our lifesaving work and acknowledge that we stand on the shoulders of giants – those who have supported Dads in Distress for over 22 years. Our organisation is built on the tears and hopes of every father separated from their children and on the support and lived experience wisdom of dads who have been there themselves,” she said.
Each suicide in Australia represents a life lost, a family bereaved, and a community bereft of one of their own. PBB’s abiding mission is to keep parents alive and in their kids’ lives.
“We know that our model works – men who come to us for help consistently find benefit through our National Helpline and/or attending the in person and online peer support groups, through connecting with our team who go above and beyond as they themselves have all been there in that same distress,” Gillian commented.
For those attending the sessions, the self-reported sense of suicidality significantly drops after three sessions (for up to 80% of attendees). Similarly, almost all people calling the Helpline (95%) report a dramatic decrease in stress levels and a heightened sense of connection.
Tony Miller, OAM, founder of PBB’s Dads in Distress said: “I thank Suicide Prevention Australia for this award which recognises the life-saving work of our volunteers, those men who turn up to meeting halls across Australia and answer the phones to those in need, they are the ones this award recognises, they are the heroes, they are the real lifesavers and for them, I am eternally grateful as I personally was the very first life they saved. I was given an OAM from the Queen for my work, but my biggest award was from a 10-year-old girl who thanked me for giving her dad back. That is what it is all about.”
PBB Chairman Brendan Blomeley welcomed the award saying, “This is a coming-of-age award in recognising the support we provide and acknowledging that it is always the right time to speak about suicide to encourage more men to seek our support.”
Suicide Prevention Australia CEO, Nieves Murray said, “Nominations are received from all over Australia, and every year we are overwhelmed by the number of quality nominations showcasing the important and innovative work that many Australians are doing.
“The calibre of this year’s LiFE Award recipients is outstanding. Each and every recipient is working tirelessly in the prevention of suicide and support of those affected by suicide. “I’d like to personally thank the 2022 recipients for the vital contribution you’re all making to the lives of others.”
PBB’s award comes on the back of recent recognition including:
  • 2020 Australian Men’s Health Forum – Significant Response to Covid-19 Award
  • 2022 GHP Social Care Award Best Family Mental Health Support Service
ABOUT PBB
As a national suicide prevention charity established on Father’s Day in 1999, Parents Beyond Breakup is focused solely on supporting separating parents experiencing trauma through family breakdown, and loss of regular access to their children, a factor closely linked to suicide.
Every year over 3,000 Australians die by suicide with issues in spousal relationships the third most cited common risk factor for men compared to seventh for women. Consistent with previous years, men are around three times more likely to die by suicide than women.
The organisation supports Dads in Distress, Mums in Distress and Grandparents in Distress through Peer Support Groups as well as through a National Suicide Prevention Helpline.
SUPPORT
Those experiencing distress during family separation and in need of support:
HELPLINE 1300 853 437
Mon-Sat, 08:30am – 5pm AEST or
WEBSITE:
www.parentsbeyondbreakup.com
PHOTOGRAPH
L-R: Stan Piperoglou, SPA Director and Gillian Hunt, PBB CEO
MEDIA CONTACT
For further media enquiries, background and to arrange an interview with Parents Beyond Breakup CEO:
Shannon Kliendienst
Head of Communications and Marketing
0429 613 962
Email: Shannon.kliendienst@parentsbeyondbreakup.com