A 24-hour crisis response service will be available to people affected by suicide of a family member or colleague in the south-east, Murraylands and Riverland of South Australia.

The standby response service is being launched at Mount Gambier.

Kathy Binks from Uniting Communities says a 24-hour telephone service backed by crisis response teams will be offered.

“We obviously in our community have put a real importance on trying to work around [achieving] suicide prevention which is absolutely crucial, but we can’t forget those bereaved by suicide and they need that support,” she said.

“It might be in the short-term, it might be in the long-term but [we are] looking at putting various support mechanisms around someone who is bereaved by suicide.

“It’s really important that communities have the skills and know how to respond. What’s been found is that people are often keen to support, keen to respond but just don’t know how.

“The standby response service provides people with that understanding around suicide and what bereavement might mean and gives them the tips and tools and tricks to respond.”