A forum on Wednesday brought together service providers to map out what services already exist and what can be improved as part of an overall suicide prevention strategy.

The Fight For Your Life forum brought together a diverse group including health professionals, emergency services, local government and community organisations.

Former beyondblue and Lifeline chief Dawn O’Neil facilitated the event and drew on her more than 20 years of experience in the social sector.

Core working group member Chris Healey, a research fellow from Deakin Rural Health, said the event was an important step in the campaign’s goals of prevention, intervention and support for those bereaved by suicide.

“Today is about mapping what’s in existence in communities at the moment… and what’s missing, what are the gaps in the services that are available,” he said.

“For me, I see this as just being the first step. This is a six-year strategy and we need the whole of the community involved if we’re going to make a change.

“At the moment it’s focusing on services, down the track we would want to talk to communities about what are their issues, what they see as local problems. Step one is service engagement, step two is community engagement.”

Mr Healey said the campaign was focusing on the whole region about how services could “work smarter” to achieve the strategy’s goals.

“Following this there will be another forum in February. It’s going to focus on solutions and how to fix the problem – what services and where can we potentially attract funding, because all the work that we’re dong at the moment is non-funded.”

Lifeline South West Vic fund-raising and sustainability manager Bess Slater said a project officer would soon begin to help co-ordinate the campaign. “That’s a position that’s been funded because of increased suicides in the region,” she said.

“It’s been a long process to get to where we are at this point and it’s good to have involvement from everyone, all the service providers, to help achieve the goals.”