LATEST NEWS
CATEGORIES
ARCHIVES
- February 2011
- March 2011
- April 2011
- May 2011
- June 2011
- July 2011
- August 2011
- September 2011
- October 2011
- November 2011
- December 2011
- Jan 2012
- Feb 2012
- March 2012
- April 2012
- May 2012
- June 2012
- July 2012
- August 2012
- Sept 2012
- Oct 2012
- Nov 2012
- Dec 2012
- Jan 2013
- Feb 2013
- March 2013
- April 2013
- May 2013
- June 2013
TAG CLOUD
July 27, 2012
A FRAMEWORK OF OUTCOMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The UK-based Young Foundation has developed a fantastic document which we think is worth sharing. Titled "A Framework of Outcomes for Young People", the document synthesises a large body of research into the social and emotional capabilities young people require in order to successfully transition into adulthood. The authors bring together research from diverse fields including education, employment and health looking at capabilities such as resilience, communication and negotiation skills. This framework proposes a model of seven interlinked clusters of social and emotional capabilities required for successful transition to adulthood, and then provides a number of tools designed to measure these capabilities. It is hoped that this model will allow services to better explain and appraise the value of their work with young people.
Download "A Framework of Outcomes for Young People" (1.6MB PDF)
Posted in: Research
July 27, 2012
COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT IN HEALTHY PEOPLE: PODCAST NOW AVAILABLE
A recent international neuropharmacology conference included a session on the use of cognitive enhancers, such as methylphenidate (Ritilin) and modafinil (Modavigil). The session featured a discussion between Professor David Nutt (director of the Neuropsychopharmacology unit at the Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London) and Nora Volkov (Director of the United States National Institute on Drug Abuse). The two speakers have different opinions on the potential risks and benefits of cognitive enhancers, and a number of related ethical implications which arise out of the use of these drugs. The audio from this fascinating discussion is available for download, or alternatively there's a transcript of the discussion available also.
Go to "Cognitive Enhancement in Healthy People"
Posted in: Research
July 27, 2012
REDUCING HARMS IN RECREATIONAL SETTINGS
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) have published a brief report titled "Responding to Drug Use and Related Problems in Recreational Settings". The report provides an overview of the evidence supporting a number of different strategies designed to reduce harm in recreational and entertainment settings including prevention at the user level, environmental strategies, entertainment venue staff training, interventions involving stakeholders as well as policing and law enforcement measures.
Go to "Responding to Drug Use and Related Problems in Recreational Settings"
Posted in: Research
July 27, 2012
INSIGHT SEMINARS AND TRAINING EVENTS
InSight (formerly known as ADTRU) have released their program of seminars and training for the second half of 2012. A number of training events will be of interest to Dovetail subscribers, including the Hot House's "Working with Young People and Drug Use", "Relapse Prevention and Management", "Indigenous Risk Impact Screen and Brief Intervention" and "Introduction to Motivational interviewing". All training workshops are held in Brisbane at the Biala Building, and they are free to Queensland Health staff, but cost around $100-$150 (depending on course length) for people outside of Queensland Health.
Download the Training Program (485KB PDF) or the Seminar Program (120KB PDF) for more information.
Posted in: Training & Events
July 20, 2012
OUR HEALING WAYS: DUAL DIAGNOSIS RESOURCES FOR INDIGENOUS HEALTH WORKERS
"Our Healing Ways" was a project of the Victorian Dual Diagnosis Initiative, which looked specifically at building capacity around Indigenous dual diagnosis issues. The project has just launched three key resources which many workers in Queensland will find useful. This includes "Our Healing Ways Manual: Putting Wisdom into Practice", a manual which describes best practice Aboriginal perspectives on dual diagnosis issues; "A resource book for Aboriginal workers on the relationship between alcohol and drugs and mental health" which provides general information on holistic assessment, recovery planning, stages of change and interventions; and "Supervision: A culturally appropriate model for Aboriginal workers" developed to meet the needs of Indigenous Health Workers working in AOD, mental health or related fields.
Download the resources from Dual Diagnosis Australia and New Zealand Website
Posted in: Treatment Tools
July 20, 2012
PRACTICE STANDARDS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE MISUSE PROBLEMS
The UK based Centre for Quality Improvement at the Royal College of Psychiatrists have published a comprehensive guide designed to assist service delivery for young people experiencing problematic AOD use in the United Kingdom. This guide includes mapped care pathways for young people through the care system, provides information on screening and brief intervention, comprehensive assessment, integrated care planning, individual therapies, co-morbidity and exit planning. This guide was developed in conjunction with a broad range of service providers in the UK and the approach described is very similar to good practice approaches here in Australia.
Download "Practice Standards for Young People with Substance Misuse Problems" (1.2MB PDF)
Posted in: Treatment Tools
July 20, 2012
NUTRITION FOR SUBSTANCE USERS
We came across this great resource from Northern Ireland which we thought would be worth sharing. It's called "Nutrition for Substance Users: A step by step workbook for people using alcohol and other drugs." As anyone working with young people around AOD use would know, nutrition is often way down the list of priorities. But as people make changes to their AOD use and begin to get healthier, it's important that workers address the issue of healthy eating. This workbook provides a great format to start the conversation. It could be used by a young person all on their own, or it could be incorporated into a session. It uses "Stages of Change" and basic motivational enhancement techniques to get people thinking about making changes to their diet, as well as some suggestions for healthy food options. While the resource is designed for people from Northern Ireland, we're pretty sure that many workers will find the content useful for work here in Queensland.
Posted in: Treatment Tools
July 20, 2012
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CHILD PROTECTION
This paper reviews the research into the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families with regards to child protection. With one in four Australians born overseas, a significant body of research and policy has been developed around many issues faced by migrant communities, however there remains large gaps in the child protection literature. This paper serves as a launch pad, by reviewing current research on the needs of migrant and refugee communities and identifying gaps and priorities for future research.
Download "Cultural Diversity and Child Protection" (1.3MB PDF)
Posted in: Research
July 13, 2012
AUSTRALIAN WINTER SCHOOL CONFERENCE 2012: PAPERS NOW AVAILABLE
The Australian Winter School conference was held on the Gold Coast at the beginning of June, and now a range of the papers presented are available online. Some of the available presentations include Dovetail's own Jeff Buckley and the Hot House's John Kelly presenting on "Engaging Young People: What Works?", Dr Jeremy Hayllar presenting on "Complexity: Case conceptualisation and intervention" and Dr Leanne Hides presenting on "Engaging and treating clients using technology".
Check out all the presentations here.
Posted in: Training & Events
July 13, 2012
PARENTS WITH AOD PROBLEMS: HEARING FROM THEIR CHILDREN
The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) published a research report back in 2010, but we think it deserves a re-visit. The study sought to interview young people whose parents had an alcohol or other drug problem to find out about their experience dealing with services and trying to seek support. The study involved one on one interviews and also focus groups with young people. Major themes which emerged included the experience of feeling unsafe, problems with schooling and fears of repercussions associated with seeking support. The report contains the actual comments from young people, including their recommendations for what could be done to improve responses to problematic drug use in a family context.
Posted in: Research
