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• Community Services and Mangement
  • Community Development
  • Community Services
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  • Alcohol and Other Drugs
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Individual Client Supprt

ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS WORK

> Qualifications & Pathways • Traineeships • VET In Schools • Peak Bodies & Key Stakeholders • Resources

NSW Context Staff who provide services to drug and alcohol clients in NSW are found across both specialist treatment and prevention agencies as well as generalist welfare and health services including those dedicated to homelessness, mental health and aged care facilities. The specialist workforce in non government organisations (NGOs) is comprised of more than 600 staff in 120 agencies based in rural, remote and urban areas.  Agencies provide a wide variety of services including prevention and early intervention, intoxicated persons units, detoxification and rehabilitation.  They may also provide services under Diversion and comorbidity initiatives. In NSW, the CHC41702 Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work and CHC51102 Diploma of Alcohol and other Drugs Work are considered appropriate vocational qualifications for entry level work in alcohol and other drugs agencies.   Prevention Services may develop prevention programs for their local and wider communities.  These initiatives vary widely in their target and scope including entire populations to prevent a problem from occurring, subsets of the population at risk or people with existing problems to reduce harm to them and the wider community. Significant evidence suggests that increasing protective factors, reducing risk factors and building resilience can result in positive outcomes across a range of health and social problems including criminality, drug use and mental health disorders. Prevention strategies could include, but are in no way limited to, school based education programs.   Intoxicated Persons Units A small number of NGOs run Intoxicated Persons Units (IPUs). These services offer a place where men and women affected by alcohol and other drugs can stay overnight. The centres provide immediate, basic needs such as a safe place to stay, food, clothing and showering facilities. Specialised staff at the centre also use their skills and programs to assist clients tackle the real problems faced by individuals. They help clients to look for long term solutions to their problems, such as assisting them to find longer term accommodation or to enter into rehabilitative programs.   Detoxification and withdrawal Some NGOs offer withdrawal services, or detoxification (or 'detox' for short). When a person who is physically dependent stops drug use they usually suffer withdrawal symptoms.  Withdrawal can be undertaken with the assistance of drugs, this is known as 'medical' withdrawal . This often occurs in a residential withdrawal unit or in hospital.   Rehabilitation Rehabilitation services can be provided through both a residential setting, or non residential setting such as day programs and community based counselling.  These may be tailored to the needs of specific population groups including women and children, indigenous clients, young people and families or they may provide services to a large and diverse client group.    Treatment Setting NGOs treatment settings exhibit differences that can be described in part by their origin, in part by their affiliations and in part by their practice: Major charities: Some major charitable organisations provide alcohol or drug treatment services as part of a larger social welfare commitment. They often have strong religious affiliations and are well known to the community. They are large organisations and tend to maintain high public profiles. Grant funding supplements the main charitable income source for these agencies. Community-based services: These agencies are mostly independent organisations that have arisen through community effort and successfully sought funding at some time after they were initiated. The most common examples are the therapeutic communities. These services largely emerged in response to the growth in illicit drug use since the 1970s. Government initiated NGOs: These services are a more recent phenomenon where Government has determined a need for a specific type of service and has sought to have it provided by a non-government organisation. These services have emerged in the last 10 to 15 years. Most treatment services are in or near the Sydney metropolitan area. Historically, regions which did not have adequate withdrawal and ambulatory services usually did not provide residential treatment services, as there was no “feeder” system. This is gradually changing as new rural withdrawal units are built or NGOs establish their own withdrawal units.   Diversion Drug crime diversion programs aim to decrease the drug crime cycle for individuals in contact with the criminal justice system due to their drug use. Objectives of these programs are to improve individual health and social functioning, and improve community safety. Programs of the National Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative include: Cannabis Cautioning Scheme MERIT Adult Drug Court Youth Drug and Alcohol Court Young Offenders Scheme. These programs target varying defendants/offenders with a range of drug treatment, health and welfare interventions as part of pre-sentencing or post-sentencing. Program participants are closely monitored by both the health and criminal justice systems to ensure progress and program compliance.   Comorbidity There is increasing awareness in the community of the link between drug use and mental health problems. Research shows that people who experience drug-related problems also have an increased risk of developing mental health issues, and people with mental health problems are reported to have a higher rate of problematic drug use. It is a complex issue depending on the types of drugs, mental illness and the interplay between the two.  Alcohol and Other Drug Services are currently developing new models of care for clients with comorbidity, revising current programs and approaches and strengthening links to mental health service providers in response.

Qualifications and Pathways

CHC41702      Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work

CHC51102      Diploma of Alcohol and other Drugs Work

Vocational Graduate Diploma of Community Services Practice (with an Alcohol and Other Drugs stream) is currently proposed in the review of the CHC02 Community Services Training Package.

 

 

Traineeships

The Vocational Training Board establishes traineeships in NSW.  Through a consultative process between peak industry groups, employers and unions, facilitated by the ITAB, qualifications are identified that meet industry requirements and have appropriate award arrangements.  This information is submitted to the Board for the declaration of a vocational training order in accordance with NSW legislation.

 As qualifications have a vocational training order established, they are posted on the NSW DET Commissioner’s Bulletin.  Further advice is available from NSW DET http://apprenticeship.det.nsw.edu.au/index1.htm   

Current Alcohol and Other Drugs Work traineeship in NSW is:

CHC41702      Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work

 

New payroll tax arrangements for apprentices and trainees

New arrangements for the payment of payroll tax for apprentices and trainees in NSW take effect from 1 July 2008.

Currently, wages paid to apprentices and new entrant trainees in NSW are exempt from payroll tax. From 1 July 2008, this exemption will no longer apply and all employers will be required to include the wages and salaries paid to apprentices and new entrant trainees in their payroll tax calculation.  Further information available from Office of State Revenue click here

 

 

VET in Schools

The Alcohol and Other Drugs Work qualifications in the CHC02 Community Services Training Package have not been identified as suitable for VET in Schools pathways.

For more information about VET in Schools in NSW visit: https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/vetinschools/

The NSW Board of Studies is responsible for the inclusion of training package qualifications in the HSC studies. Further information is available at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au .

 

 

Peak Bodies and Key Stakeholders

Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies (NADA)

The Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies Inc (NADA) is the peak organisation for the alcohol and drug non-government sector throughout NSW and is funded by NSW Health. NADA’s membership comprises over 100 agencies ranging from small Health funded counselling and education services to the large Charities.

NSW Health Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Officer

The Centre for Drug and Alcohol is responsible for the development and implementation of drug and alcohol policies across the health system in New South Wales. These policies affect the design and delivery of drug treatment services across the State. The Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Office has major responsibility for implementing a comprehensive range of new initiatives from the Government Plan of Action resulting from the 1999 NSW Drug Summit.

Alcohol and Drug Council of Australia (ADCA)

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) is the peak, national, non-government organisation representing the interests of the Australian alcohol and other drugs sector, providing a national voice for people working to reduce the harm caused by alcohol and other drugs.

Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD)

The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) is the principal advisory body to Government on drug policy and plays a critical role in ensuring the voice of the community is heard in relation to drug related policies and strategies. Membership of the ANCD includes people with a wide range of experience and expertise on various aspects of drug policy, such as treatment, rehabilitation, education, family counselling, law enforcement, research and work at the coalface in community organisations.

Australian Professional Society of Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD)

The Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs (APSAD). APSAD is dedicated to raising awareness about the problems related to the use of alcohol and other drugs, and to promoting improved standards in clinical practice and in research into this and allied subjects.
APSAD offers two major forms of professional development for health professionals. The first is the Society's scientific journal, the Drug and Alcohol Review. The second is the Annual Drug and Alcohol Conference.

 

National Centre for Education and Training in Addictions (NCETA)

The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) is an internationally recognised research centre that works as a catalyst for change in the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) field. The promotion of Workforce Development (WFD) principles, research and evaluation of effective practices is NCETA’s core business.

 

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC)

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) is a premier research institution in Australia and is recognised internationally as a Research Centre of Excellence. The Centre is multidisciplinary and collaborates with medicine, psychology, social science and other schools of the University of NSW, as well as with a range of other institutions and individuals in Australia and overseas.

 

 

Resources

Please contact NSW Community Services and Health ITAB regarding training and assessment resource needs for the qualifications or skills sets in this industry sector.

 

NSW Community Services and Health ITAB and NSW DET resources include:

 

 

Alcohol and Other Drugs Work – Cert IV IDEA Resources

(Industry Developed and Endorsed Assessment) 

This resource includes:

• Information Booklet
• RTO Resources (CD Set) with Information Booklet, Third Party/Supervisor Reports, Employer Handbook, IDEA Assessment Tasks, IDEA Assessment Evidence matrix and RTO & Assessor Handbook
• Individual Candidate Resources including Record Book, Application Form and Evidence Portfolio and Information Booklet

Details and order form available at: www.csh-itab.com.au

 

 

Aboriginal Workers in Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work  This resource was developed by CSH ITAB in consultation with key industry stakeholders and includes: Orientation to Alcohol  And other Drugs Sector (CHCAOD2C) Set of Training Book 1 & Book 2 Working with clients who are intoxicated (CHCAOD6B) Training Book Details and order form available at: www.skillsonline.net.au

 

 

Other resources may be available from industry peaks, National Training Information Service (NTIS), Registered Training Organisations and Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council.

 

 

 

              

 

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