Resources for Practitioners
If you are a Family Violence (FV) specialist or Child & Family Services worker and a client discloses AOD issues –
- you may be able to manage these in the context of your role
- you may need to access additional resources on AOD
- you many wish to have secondary consults with an AOD worker
- you may need to refer your client to an AOD specialist service
Resources for supporting a client with AOD issues
For information and resources about Alcohol and Other Drugs (AoD), visit the website of Victoria’s peak body representing AOD services, VAADA – Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association.
Other general information on AOD:
- The Alcohol & Drug Foundation (ADF)
- Youth Drugs & Alcohol Advice (YoDAA)
- Navigating Alcohol and Other Drug Services For providers in the Bayside Peninsula Area 2023
Secondary Consults regarding AOD
If you need advice or support for your client you can access secondary consultations through:
- Drug and alcohol clinical advisory service (DACAS) – a specialist 24-hour telephone consultancy service that assists health and welfare professionals throughout Victoria to respond effectively to individuals with alcohol or other drug use problems. All calls are answered by experienced DirectLine clinicians.
- The Victorian neuropsychology service, delivered by Turning Point, offers secondary consultations to alcohol and other drug workers and corrections workers to assist in supporting clients with suspected or diagnosed brain injury, who also have co-occurring alcohol and other drug use disorders.
- The Royal Women’s Hospital’s Women’s alcohol and drug service (WADS) provides specialist clinical services to pregnant women and their infants. The service offers secondary consultations to health professionals in acute and primary health services and the community sector. This includes a 24-hour on-call medical service.
Referring clients to AOD services
Various AOD services are available in Bayside Peninsula and across Victoria that you can refer a client to:
- AOD intake services through BaysideAOD
- Specialist alcohol consultancy service (SACS) provides a specialist alcohol clinic for community medical practitioners across Victoria. Delivered by Turning Point, it is a medical clinic model with psychological, nursing and other clinician support, and builds on the infrastructure and resources of DACAS.
- The Royal Women’s Hospital’s Women’s alcohol and drug service (WADS) provides specialist clinical services to pregnant women and their infants. Referral is through a general practitioner or other health provider, or by self-referral.
Resources for AOD Workers
If you are an AOD worker and a client discloses that they are experiencing family violence (FV) or you believe FV is an issue, you need to be able to respond appropriately – visit Safe and Equal’s Understanding Family Violence
Learn:
- What is family violence
- Impacts of family violence
- Who experiences family violence
- Forms of family violence
- Preventing and responding to family violence
This page also offers help and support:
- If you are experiencing family violence
- Advice for family and friends
General AOD Resources & Research
- For information on FV and AOD, visit the website of VAADA
- NCETA is an internationally recognised research centre that works as a catalyst for change in the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) field. Resources are available on their website.
- Odyssey House Victoria is a state-wide, specialist treatment organisation dedicated to improving the lives of individuals who experience significant or long-term problems from alcohol and other drug use.
- The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education framework proposes policies and programs that Australian governments can implement which will have an impact on preventing and reducing alcohol-related family violence.
- This ANROWS report investigates the relationship between alcohol and violence against women and provides recommendations for policies, programs and practice.
- For Vic Gov information and data on AoD, visit their website. The Australian Government has national information and data on their website