Resources and links

AOD eNews is a quarterly e-newsletter produced by Central and Eastern Sydney PHN, focusing on recent sector updates, stories and service provider information relevant to our region. It is sent to community members, organisations and health professionals across the CESPHN region.

To subscribe to the AOD eNews, please send through your request to: aodnewsletters@cesphn.com.au

• Australian Drug Foundation (ADF)
• Ask Izzy is an anonymous online search platform with over 360 000 services; including housing, meals, healthcare, counselling, legal advice and addiction supports.
• Cracks in the Ice is an online toolkit providing information and resources about crystal methamphetamine (Ice) for the community and for health professionals
• Community Drug Action Teams NSW – Find out what’s happening in NSW near you by contacting your local Community Drug Action Team (CDAT), which is led by a regional Senior Community Development Officer who will help with your questions. You can locate your local CDAT here
• Language Guides:
  NUAA and NADA’s Language Matters guide
  Mental Health Coodinating Council’s (MHCC) Recovery Oriented Language Quick Reference Guide.
• Network of alcohol and other drugs agencies (NADA) – the peak body for the non-government alcohol and other drugs sector in NSW
• NADA’s Webinar Series Alcohol and Other Drugs 101 – Brush up on your AOD basics with this foundational webinar series on the range of substances used by people in the community. Approached from a harm reduction perspective, each webinar will refresh your knowledge and/or give you new information about emerging drugs.
• National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre provides a range of resources to support treatment and other interventions responding to alcohol and other drug related harm, including a resources section for AOD workers
• Overdose Lifesavers This website aims to support people effected by opioid overdose and those thinking about using Take Home Naloxone as well as to inform the community about overdose and what can be done about it.
• Resources for Pharmacists in Opioid Treatment (53 KB) – NSW Health recently launched a resources pack to support Pharmacists involved in the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). The NSW OTP provides patients with access to treatment for opioid dependency, with a focus on improving patients’ health, wellbeing and engagement with their families and community. The role of community pharmacists is vital, and these resources are available to support you to deliver a high quality and safe program.
• Take Home Naloxone (THN) – A list of registered pharmacies in NSW
• Turn to Help – provides information and resources about opioid addiction, treatment and where to find support for individuals, families, friends and carers. The website also includes an online portal for Healthcare Professionals to access clinical resources.
• Your Room Resources and up to date information about drugs and alcohol
• Recognition of Lived Experience (126 KB) Statement

• WellMob: Social, emotional and cultural wellbeing resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
• Australian Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre
• Sydney University’s Handbook for Aboriginal Alcohol and Drug Work and Alcohol Awareness Kit
• Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Network – a Network for Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol workers from across NSW
• NADA’s Aboriginal Inclusion Tool 
• NADA’s Alcohol and other drugs treatment guidelines for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – in a non-Aboriginal setting.This resource has been developed to support non-Aboriginal service providers in the AOD sector working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

Alcohol and other drugs treatment guidelines for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – in a non-Aboriginal Setting

NADA has developed guidelines to support non-Aboriginal service providers in the AOD sector working with Aborignal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Guidelines are intended to support services to establish better relationships and linkages with Aboriginal organisations and in Aboriginal communities. The Guidelines also provide practical guides and resources to support workers and organisations to improve their service delivery when working with Aboriginal service users.

• Guidelines are available here: Alcohol and other drugs treatment guidelines for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – in a non-Aboriginal setting.

Evaluation 

This project has been evaluated by UNSW National Drug and Alcohol Research Council (NDARC). All services completed a pre and post audit and attended a Guideline workshop to measure if there was change. Twelve of the fifteen services who participated engaged in the project until completion.

• The full evaluation report is available here: A randomised stepped-wedge evaluation of the impact of a guideline-driven process for improving the cultural competence of non-Aboriginal drug and alcohol treatment services
• Two page summary of the evaulation report is available here: Cultural Competence Guideline project Evaluation summary report

• National LGBTI Health Alliance Knoweldge Hub
• ACON’s Pivot Point, AOD self-assessment and resources for LGBTIQ persons
• ACON’s TransHub
• ACON’s Language Guide: Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion
• GLHV’s The Rainbow Tick guide to LGBTI-inclusive practice
• ACON’s Trans and Gender Diverse Language Guide (114 KB)
• ACON LGBTI Inclusive Guidelines for AOD Treatment Providers AOD Inclusivity Guidelines (1.02 MB)
• NADA e-learning module: ‘Asking the question: Recommended gender and sexuality indicators’
• QLife QGuides: These guides are for health professionals working with LGBTIQ people. The guides describe and discuss a range of common and often complex topics. QLife provides Australia-wide anonymous, LGBTI peer support and referral for people wanting to talk about sexuality, identity, gender, bodies feelings or relationships.
• Evaluation of ACON’s Substance Support Service: Supporting best practice for sexual and gender minority AOD clients, University of New South Wales (UNSW). Funded by NSW Health.

• Drug and Alcohol Multicultural Education Centre
• DAMEC’s NSW Bilingual Workers and Programs Directory
• NADA’s Working with diversity in Alcohol & Other Drug settings resource
• Illawarra CALD Local Drug Action Team in partnership with Illawarra Local Health District developed new film resources to assist community members and their families in a range of language backgrounds to access drug and alcohol support:
  Video: Where can I get help when alcohol or drugs a problem?
  Language: Arabic, Assyrian, Burmese, Chaldean, Cantonese, Farsi, Hazaragi, Hindi,  Swahili, Mandarin, Nepali, Kirundi, Karenni, Tigrinya, Vietnamese

• NADA’s Tool for Change: Family and Carer’s Toolkit
• NADA’s Working with family resources including eLearning module ‘Engaging with families and significant others in the AOD sector’
• Family Drug Support
• Breathing Space – The family and friends support program is a freely available, online therapeutic program that supports people who have a loved one using alcohol and other drugs.

• Positive Choices provides up to date, evidence-based information for students, parents, teachers and community.
• Climate Schools offers health and wellbeing courses to students
• NADA’s Resource: Supporting young people with drug and alcohol issues 
• Your Room: Respect Your Brain animated video series explores how alcohol, cannabis and MDMA affect a developing brain.

Please visit our dedicated co-occuring mental health and alcohol and other drugs webpage here for up to date information, resources and training.

• The Recovery & Wellbeing College- https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/recovery-wellbeing-college
• NUAA Peer Line- https://www.nuaa.org.au/peerline
• NUAA Peer Connect- https://www.nuaa.org.au/peerconnect-training
• NUAA Resources- https://www.nuaa.org.au/resources-2