Lifeline Western Melbourne
Through our partnership with Lifeline Western Melbourne, we aim to boost crisis-support and suicide-prevention resources and workforce for Victorians.
Lifeline Western Melbourne provides crucial local services, including:
- 24-hour crisis support at 13 11 14
- training programs in suicide prevention, counselling foundations, responding to domestic violence, and mental-health first aid
- suicide prevention programs.
VU and Lifeline acknowledge the lives lost to suicide, and recognise those struggling with thoughts of suicide, mental-health issues or crisis situations.
About our partnership
Lifeline's first crisis support and suicide prevention centre in Melbourne’s west is located on Victoria University’s St Albans Campus. It is the first Lifeline Crisis Call Centre in the state to operate from a university campus.
Since opening in June 2023, the Crisis Call Centre has 14 volunteers answering calls to support Victorians in need, with more than 1000 calls answered so far. Plans are underway to boost these numbers with 20 more volunteers.
The centre provides real-world placements and opportunities for VU students to train as Lifeline crisis-support volunteers. This provides valuable experience to students studying youth work, psychology, counselling, community services and social work.
The partnership between Lifeline Western Melbourne and VU also includes:
- fundraising by VU staff and students to support Lifeline services, with more than $15,000 raised so far
- working together to evaluate Lifeline services and programs with the Lifeline Research Foundation
- integrating the Lifeline University Call Line service to provide dedicated after-hours access for VU students seeking mental-health support
- guest-lecturering by Lifeline staff in relevant VU courses
- providing student-placement opportunities at various Lifeline sites and services.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
This partnership addresses the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Benefits for students & courses
Read about courses that have placements and other opportunities through this partnership.
As well as the following, you can study mental-health nursing and other mental health qualifications throught VU Online.
