QNADA Conference 2011
The Inaugural QNADA Conference: Challenges and Innovation, February/March 2011 saw AOD professionals gather for a conference focused on the NGO AOD sector. Attracting a range of national speakers the conference covered insight into emerging themes around priorities within the AOD sector including; National Health Reform, the National Drug Strategy, workforce development and innovations in treatment. 

Comorbidity in the Community – a QNADA Seminar Series
From April to October 2011 QNADA coordinated a series of six seminars focusing on increasing the capacity of the health and community workforce to meet the needs of clients with both a mental illness and substance use problem. 

Through partnering with the Queensland Alliance, The Queensland Voice for Mental Health and other community peaks, QNADA provided an essential link to improve the flow of information in managing comorbidity.  As part of QNADAs commitment to all member services, the sessions were recorded and uploaded.  This strategy aimed to ensure individuals and organisations outside the south east corner are able to access the information presented.   What eventuated were linkages across Australia.

To access the recorded seminars click on the play button.

Already it’s late March and for many the hangover of New Year 2012 is long forgotten, however for our alcohol and other drug agencies and service providers, the battle with hangovers is being faced on a daily basis.

As with the health sector going through changes, QNADA is also experiencing change. Please feel free to read our latest news letter, which I have attached to keep you up to date with these changes.

We hope you find this monthly newsletter useful and we welcome your comments and feedback or items for inclusion in future editions. In future members will receive relevant information updates as they come to hand, including developments affecting the sector as a result of the recent election.

The Department of Health and Ageing funded eleven services in Queensland under the Improved Services Initiative (ISI) to build the capacity of services to further identify and respond to clients presenting with comorbid substance use and mental illness. 

The following forms a list of training undertaken by Improved Services Initiative grant recipients which they considered valuable to working with people with an alcohol and/or drug problem and mental health comorbidity;

Introduction to mental illness (e.g. Nuts and Bolts of Psychiatry);

• Mental Health First Aid

Suicide awareness and prevention training

• ASIST Training
• ASIST T4T

Psychiatric medications and their management;

• MHPOD
• Psychostimulant information for health workers
• Handling difficult situations
• Non-violent crisis prevention Intervention training
• The No Wrong Door Protocol
• Building Capacity in Non-government Alcohol and Drug Services in Queensland - A tough but Perfect Confluence < Insert link >

The report also includes a list of cultural change resource inventories that provide a comprehensive and integrated set of resources to directly influence organisational change.

The AOD Research page has been created to assist you in conducting your own research. This page will help you to develop effective and successful ways of conducting research and evaluating your search results.

RADAR, a project of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia, aims to promote awareness of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs research in Australia. The register contains up-to-date records of current and recently completed research projects with details of published research. There is also information about researchers, their organisations and research funding bodies. 

http://www.radar.org.au/

QNADA members can access quality, independent relevant information through this international and interdisciplinary journal “Mental Health and Substance Use” to explore the complex issues arising from co-existing mental health and substance use. The Mental Health and Substance Use journal informs, develops, and educates professionals by facilitating, sharing, and pooling knowledge. It covers assessment, intervention, treatment, prevention, innovation, opinion, conceptual exploration and analysis, service delivery, service development, policy and procedure, research and debate.

 Coordination of sector driven research enables current research to be grounded which allows an increased level of understanding and can act as leverage increasing the organisations capacity to access funding.

Researchers are often concerned with publication rate and success, in achieving research grants.Developing linkages with research institutes benefits your service and subsequently your clients, through the collaboration of strategically targeted research.

Below is a list of link to information on potential research partners.

QADREC CYSAR IUIH NCPIC NCETA

NHMRC NDARC NCHSR NCHECR ARC