Dovetail

BACKGROUND

Consultation
Key considerations
Statewide Funding

In November 2006, the Premier and Minister for Trade and Minister for Health announced the establishment of the Ice Breaker Strategy Taskforce. The Taskforce was established in response to reported concerns about the availability and use of crystal methamphetamine ('ice') and other amphetamine-type substances.

The Taskforce completed a report in 2007 with 20 recommendations across law enforcement, education, prevention and treatment.

One of the recommendations advocated an 'examination of options to enhance drug and alcohol treatment services for young people, including drug withdrawal services, outpatient counselling and residential rehabilitation services' (Recommendation 13, Ice Strategy Taskforce Final Report 2007).

CONSULTATION

Consultation was undertaken to inform implementation and make recommendations for use of $2.3 million to enhance drug and alcohol treatment services to young people.

This was undertaken with over 80 key informants from across a broad spectrum of government and non-government agencies, networks and professionals who provide health and welfare services for young people.

Discussion with key informants centred around current and desired service provision, client populations, identified gaps or barriers to service delivery, perceived strengths and supports, partnerships and relationships with related services and perspectives on the provision of youth services in Queensland broadly. Service delivery models in other States were also considered as were key youth strategies and plans and youth forum resolutions.

The consultation outcomes provided an overview of the youth sector broadly and the context of drug and alcohol service delivery for young people.

SUMMARY OF KEY CONSIDERATIONS FROM THE CONSULTATION:

• existing capacity of drug and alcohol and youth sector workforce (current and projected)
• few services in Queensland specialise in the delivery of drug and alcohol treatment for young people
• polydrug use, including high levels of alcohol use is common amongst young people
• special needs for young people under 18 years of age
• special populations include Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT)and rural/remote young people
• need for specialised skills and qualifications in alcohol and drug, mental health and family work
• limited access for workforce to training, education and professional development (including funding for training and travel/accommodation and backfill)
• high level of turnover in the youth sector workforce
• need for specific strategies to enhance access to primary healthcare for young people (for example, access to GP services, strengthening relationships with GP's and GP Division)
• need to support and enhance existing capacity, while creating a stepping stone, or base from which to grow over time towards an ideal level of service delivery for young people with substance use issues
• geographical spread and diverse needs in Queensland, from heavily populated south-east corner and coastal centres to isolated northern and western rural communities
• funding allocation cannot meet all needs and should be allocated with consideration of current and planned services, current and projected population density and level of disadvantage
• funding allocation should be balanced to support and develop the youth sector broadly (ie. all people working with young people with drug and alcohol issues) and provide improved delivery of, and access to, specialised drug and alcohol services
• Government and non-government agencies currently provide services to young people
• need for consistent principles and practices for quality, evidence-based service provision for young people
• a service delivery model that is flexible and adaptable for local needs, while maintaining consistency with overarching principles of best practice
• some of the current trends, and issues on state and national agendas, which are likely to exert increased influence on working with young people with substance use issues include a focus on drug use in families, indigenous welfare reform, the role of primary healthcare, prevention and early intervention, working with and skill in mental health service provision, as well as the impact of dynamic drug markets and population growth in Queensland.

STATEWIDE FUNDING:

Based on the consultation outcomes, the Queensland State Government released two tenders:

• $600K / year to provide coherence, support and quality improvement systems for the youth alcohol and drug service delivery sector.

Awarded to: Dovetail - The Statewide Group , Alcohol and Drug Services for Young People Queensland Consortium.

• $1.7M / year for direct service providers to deliver integrated, accessible, evidence-based alcohol and drug treatment services to young people aged 12 to 24 years in Queensland.

Awarded to the following 10 Services across Queensland:

Youth Empowered Towards Independence (YETI) - Cairns.

Ph: (07) 4051 4927
www.yeti.net.au
Youth Empowered Towards Independence (YETI) works from a harm-minimisation and empowerment philosophy with an integrated approach, YETI responds to the needs of young people aged 12 to 25 years living in and around Cairns who are involved in, or at risk of involvement in opportunistic prostitution and / or illicit drug use. YETI has employed two youth drug and alcohol, homelessness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islandersupport workers.

Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Service (ATODS) - Townsville.

Ph: (07) 4778 9677
www.health.qld.gov.au/townsville/services/atods.asp
Townsville ATODS provides information, clinical assessment, counselling, treatment and referral for individuals, groups and families with a range of alcohol and other drug related problems. Ambulatory, day withdrawal, court, and homeless services are also available. The Service offers a range of activities around health promotion, increasing community awareness on topical issues, and the training of future health and welfare professionals on the management of substance abuse and dependence. Townsville ATODS have employed two new staff to work with young people in the region, with one position based at the local Headspace service, and the other who works collaboratively with youth justice, child and youth mental health and qld youth service."

Indigenous Wellbeing Centre (IWC) - Bundaberg.

Ph: (07) 4151 5402
www.iwc.org.au
The Indigenous Wellbeing Centre (IWC) is a non-profit organization that provides a range of Primary Health and Community Services to both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people across the Bundaberg, North Burnett and Fraser Coast regions. Service types are social and clinical, delivered through a holistic model to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities. The IWC Youth Alcohol and Drug program uses a harm minimization approach to address the abusive and dependent use of alcohol and other drugs in both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous young people. This includes support for both the individual and the wider youth community. Additionally, the YAD program can provide group educational sessions, designed to increase knowledge and insight into youth substance abuse issues and related problems.

Alcohol and Drug Foundation Qld (ADFQ) - Kingaroy.

Ph: (07) 4162 3859
www.adfq.org
Alcohol and Drug Foundation Queensland (ADFQ) is a large state-wide non government organisation that has been operating in Queensland for 30 years. ADFQ have employed two youth drug and alcohol workers based in Kingaroy, who provide case management, counselling and referral for young people 12 - 24 living in the South Burnett and Northern Downs areas.

FOCUS - Sunshine Coast Division of General Practice (SCDGP) - Sunshine Coast.

Ph: (07) 5443 2100
www.scdgp.org.au
FOCUS has employed two youth drug and alcohol workers to provide a mixture of one-on-one therapeutic counselling and group work, including outreach to schools and regular youth health checks at Sunshine Plaza. No GP referral is required for these services. They also organise and provide training, professional development and consultation and liaison services to other workers and services in the area.

Boystown - Logan / Ipswich / Redlands

Ph: (07) 3876 1276
www.boystown.com.au
BoysTown helps disadvantaged children and young people aged to 25 years connect with the community. They provide help and reassurance to those experiencing life challenges that include: physical and emotional abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, low literacy, long-term unemployment and mental illness. BoysTown have employed three additional youth AOD counsellors, who provide individual assessment and intervention for young people and their families across the Redlands, Logan and Ipswich catchment areas.

Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal Service (ADAWS) - Brisbane (State wide).

Ph: (07) 3163 8400
http://www.kidsinmind.org.au/DEFAULT2CF68.HTM?orgid=1&suborgid=20

ADAWS offers a fully supported withdrawal (or detox) program for young people (13 to 18 years) who feel they have a problem with substance use.  The program includes a stay at ADAWS for 11 days, worker support 24 hours a day, daily relapse prevention groups, daily catch-up with a key worker, health and medical support, recreational activities and other fun stuff.  ADAWS also offers a daytime program and an outreach program.

Brisbane Youth Service (BYS) - Brisbane.

Ph: 3252 3750
www.brisyouth.org
Brisbane Youth Service (BYS) is a medium sized incorporated association providing holistic community services to homeless and disadvantaged young people (aged 12 - 26 years) and their children in the inner-city of Brisbane. BYS has been in operation since 1977. BYS have added 2.5 extra Drug Intervention Worker positions, to work with homeless and at-risk young people who use drugs in the inner city area of Brisbane. These positions aim to reduce and respond to harm associated with drug use, by providing individual case managment as well as group work programs. BYS aims to support young people's growth and development by building on individual, peer group, community and cultural strengths.

The Hothouse - Brisbane.

Ph: (07) 3878 3911
http://www.health.qld.gov.au/tpch/documents/ads_insert7.pdf

The Hot House (Youth Community Team) is a free, confidential and appointment-based alcohol and drug counselling service for young people under 25 years who are concerned about their own or someone else's alcohol and/or drug use. Counselling and support is also available for parents and significant others affected by a young person's substance use. Hot House has its base site at Indooroopilly Brisbane, and provides outreach to North Lakes Health Precinct, North West(Keperra) Community Health Centre, and various youth agencies. The Hot House also operate a QIDDI Scheme for individuals under 25 years and undertake health promotion, consultation and liaison and PD training for workers across the state.

Gold Coast Drug Council (GCDC) - Gold Coast.

Ph: (07) 5508 0242
www.gcdrugcouncil.org.au
1 Coordinator full time , 1 full time and 1 .5 youth drug and alcohol workers have been employed for The Gold Coast Drug Council's Youth Outreach Drug & Alcohol Unit which promotes the well-being and health of young people between the ages of 12 - 25 years old who are experiencing interpersonal and social functioning problems related to drug use.

Clients can be referred from a range of sources including health, welfare, community organisations, youth organisations/networks or they or their families/friends may self-refer. Service includes assessments, social support, counselling, case-management, psycho-education and arts-based therapeutic groups, all within a harm-minimisation model. It provides early and brief interventions strategies (e.g. anger management, problem-solving, goal-setting and stress management) and psycho-education for young people around alcohol and drug misuse. The service delivery demographic area is from Upper Coomera out to Beenleigh and back to Coolangatta with everything in between.