About this resource
Alcohol and other drug support comes in many forms. This guide outlines harm reduction services, counselling, withdrawal services, residential rehabilitation, family support and phone lines, with prompts for supportive conversations and a local contacts table.
Purpose
To connect clients with appropriate alcohol and other drug support.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Community services and case workers. Also relevant for social workers, youth workers.
Client or participant group: Community services workers.
Practice setting: Community, housing and outreach services.
Suggested uses
- Referral planning
- Case management
- Training new workers
- Harm reduction conversations
Instructions for practitioners
- Use a non-judgemental, harm reduction approach.
- Ask what the client wants.
- Check local services and wait times.
- Support family members too.
Accessibility considerations
Interpreters and culturally specific services.
Scope and limitations
General navigation information. It is not clinical advice. Services vary by location.
Research basis
Case management practice standards describe assessment, planning, coordination, review and planned exits with the person at the centre. Motivational interviewing has consistent, modest benefits for behaviour change across health and social care settings.
- Case Management Society of Australia and New Zealand. (2013). National standards of practice for case management (3rd ed.). https://www.cmsa.org.au/
- Lundahl, B. W., Kunz, C., Brownell, C., Tollefson, D., & Burke, B. L. (2010). A Meta-Analysis of Motivational Interviewing: Twenty-Five Years of Empirical Studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 20(2), 137–160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731509347850
- Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
