The reduction of alcohol and other drug (AOD) harm in Australia is dependent on having a skilled, effective and adaptable workforce. As the workforce involved in preventing and minimising AOD harm is diverse, NCETA was commissioned by the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs (IGCD) to develop Australia’s first National Alcohol and Drug Workforce Development Strategy. The Strategy was released in August 2015.
Development of the Strategy involved a comprehensive literature review; a discussion paper; and an extensive national consultation process involving workshops in each jurisdiction, a call for written submissions and key informant interviews.
The Strategy addresses the needs of specialist AOD and generalist workers from health, welfare, education, law enforcement and related sectors, and embraces a systems approach (see definition below).
The Strategy proposes 12 key outcome areas that are achievable in varying local contexts of community service provision in Australia. Outcome areas include:
| Outcome area 1. | Understand the specialist AOD prevention and treatment workforce |
| Outcome area 2. |
Create a sustainable specialist AOD prevention and treatment workforce by addressing recruitment and retention issues |
| Outcome area 3. | Match roles with capabilities |
| Outcome area 4. | Enhance capacity to cater for older AOD clients as well as those with co-and multiple morbidities and other complex needs |
| Outcome area 5. | Improve child and family sensitive practice |
| Outcome area 6. | Improve consumer participation in AOD service provision, policy and planning |
| Outcome area 7. | Increase the capacity of the workforce to respond appropriately to AOD issues among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples |
| Outcome area 8. | Increase the capacity of the workforce to respond appropriately to AOD issues among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups |
| Outcome area 9. | Increase the capacity of the workforce to respond appropriately to AOD issues among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals |
| Outcome area 10. | Enhance the capacity of generalist health, community, welfare and support services workers to prevent and reduce AOD harm |
| Outcome area 11. | Continue to develop the criminal justice workforce to prevent and reduce AOD harm |
| Outcome area 12. | Promote the ability of the education sector to prevent and reduce AOD harm |
A systems approach is a multi-faceted approach which addresses the range of factors impacting on the ability of the workforce to function with maximum effectiveness in responding to alcohol- and other drug-related problems. Workforce development should have a systems focus. Unlike traditional approaches, this is broad and comprehensive, targeting individual, organisational and structural factors, rather than just addressing education and training of individual mainstream workers (Roche, 2002).
The national centres are supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Drug and Alcohol Program
Page last updated: Monday 25 March 2024
