Jaelea Skehan, director of Hunter-based mental health institute, Everymind, will support the new adviser to the Prime Minister on suicide prevention

For the next 18 months, Jaelea Skehan will support Christine Morgan - the "first ever" adviser to the Prime Minister on suicide prevention and chief executive of the National Mental Health Commission.

At the 2019 National Suicide Prevention Conference in Melbourne, Ms Skehan said she would take "extended leave" from Everymind to head up the "cross portfolio team" for Ms Morgan.

"A couple of weeks ago, when I heard that suicide prevention had been elevated to the highest office in Australia, I thought it was a really great step forward for Australia," she said in a statement via Twitter. "In actual fact, suicide prevention in our communities affected by suicide deserve nothing less. So it was great to hear that Christine Morgan was appointed as the first ever adviser to the Prime Minister on suicide prevention. And while it is going to mean a bit of a change for me, after 18 years with Everymind I'm taking some leave from our organisation to head up the cross-government portfolio that is going to be supporting Christine Morgan in her role... and also developing an action plan for cross-government policy on suicide prevention."

Ms Skehan said she felt as though she had grown up in the offices of Everymind, and had really benefited from working with stakeholders, particularly in the local community.

"But I also know that our team has a really strong leadership team," she said. "We have over 50 dedicated staff and students working on our programs, and our research, and I really look forward in the next 12-to-18 months of watching some of the amazing work that our team do together. And I'm really looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity of doing things differently and better for our communities in Australia."

A statement from Everymind said the organisation would continue its important work in prevention of mental ill-health and suicide nationally and locally.

"We are very proud that Jaelea has been appointed to a leadership role which will shape a whole-of-government suicide prevention strategy nationally. We wish her every success in her new role and look forward to seeing some of the important work which will be produced due to suicide prevention being elevated to the highest office in the country."

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