Building an Ecosystem of Care - Alternative First Responders

When looking at the numerous contexts and communities that stand to benefit from the establishment of alternative first responders, the area of mental health is hard to ignore. It is a space that affects us all.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2020-2022), 43% of Australians aged 16-85 years (8.5 million people) have experienced a mental health disorder at some time in their life.¹ A NSW Police internal review in 2024 found that on average a mental health incident is attended/ recorded by NSWPF every 9 minutes and this had increased (approximately 10%) each year since 2018 ². The report also found that NSW Police often act as “an escalating factor” increasing the potential of adverse outcomes ³ when attending mental health incidents, the majority of which, involved no criminal offence or threat of violence. Despite the clear need for an alternative response that addresses mental health distress with care, dignity and de-escalation, our current system relies heavily on police as first responders to mental health callouts.

During the Alternative First Responders Symposium, we spoke with fierce advocate Judy Deacon and CEO of BEING Giancarlo De Vera, about the work happening on the ground to push for alternatives as a central piece in building an ecosystem of care, not force. Judy Deacon’s message was unequivocal: “Having a mental health affliction is not a crime. It’s an unfortunate situation that can happen to anybody, no matter what their background.”⁴

Shifting the Structural Responsibility

As the peak body representing mental health consumers, BEING has called for greater transparency and an apology from NSW Police. “Police need to report on how many people who experience mental health crises are shot or otherwise injured by them every year—and that needs to be tabled in parliament,” de Vera insists. “We need public accountability in the highest halls of power, to shine a light on the disproportionate power that police have to protect themselves.” ⁵

The breakdown in trust between mental health consumers and police reflects a critical gap between the care communities require, and the punitive responses currently deployed – a misalignment that demands structural transformation. As a powerful voice for people with lived experience, advocate Judy Deacon spoke to some of the foundational changes necessary to build an ecosystem of care and to shift the structural responsibility away from police. This would involve more community-oriented approaches: reallocating funding, working with community organisations and people with lived experience to provide support and care in mental health cases, including peer-led support and a robust mental health-trained team available to respond to mental health callouts.⁶

“Alternative first responders to police should be community members and professionals who are deeply connected to and understand the communities they serve, prioritising wellbeing, care, and active community participation, rather than relying on law enforcement.”⁷

Principles for Building a Better Response

To build a response that treats people with care and respect, responders must be trained to be trauma-informed, culturally aware and highly skilled in de-escalation. This contrasts sharply with current police responses where force and criminalisation remain standard practice.

In the robust conversation at the Alternative First Responders Symposium, De Vera and Deacon highlighted a number of key principles for developing best practice in alternative first responses to mental health callouts, including an explicit non-violent mandate, community governance models, guidance from those with lived experience and a focus on voluntary support.

“For too long, police and others who support mental health consumers use all manner of force and restrictive practices that disempower people and traumatise people,” De Vera explained. “We need a non-coercive mandate as a strong foundation for any alternative. We need to be able to connect individuals experiencing crisis to voluntary community-based peer-led support, whether that be housing supports, counselling, or psychosocial in nature. Whatever the support is, they need to have a choice.“⁸

The Alternative First Responders Position Paper echoes these sentiments and outlines eight core principles for the design and implementation of effective and sustainable alternatives, which prioritise community wellbeing, inclusivity, empathy and safety.⁹These principles offer a roadmap for what is possible when we choose care over force.

Call to Action

The groundswell for building a response beyond police has been gaining momentum thanks to the tireless efforts of advocates like Deacon and De Vera. Through her advocacy, Judy Deacon has been pushing for a fourth option on the triple zero line specifically for mental health situations.

“People are scared,” she says. “The people who rang the ambulance for Jesse are devastated because they feel like it’s their fault that he was killed [by police].”¹⁰

The need for change is clear. Currently, you can have your say on alternative responses to mental health callouts in NSW by visiting the link below. The online community consultation will be open until November 16. You can also watch the full panel discussion ‘Reshaping Mental Health Callouts: Responding with Care and Choice’ with Judy Deacon and Giancarlo de Vera from The Alternative First Responders Symposium 2025.

New model for responding to mental health emergencies in the community

Watch Reshaping Mental Health Call Outs with Judy Deacon and Giancarlo De Vera

As we continue to advocate for change, you can support the campaign and add your voice to the call for care, not force by signing the Alternative First Responders national pledge and signing up to receive our monthly newsletter.

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