Submission in response to ‘Future Directions – a five-year plan for ATOD services’

This submission is based on SARC research (Just another manic Monday: the challenge of working with clients with alcohol and other drug issues in community service organisations) which aimed to provide a clear account of the actual and potential role of non-ATOD funded Tasmanian NGOs in responding to the needs generated by substance use across a broad range of services. The current Future Directions Consultation Document, although acknowledging the important role played by non-specialist NGOs and the need for treatment services to work closely with other sections of the health and human services sector, fails to provide a clear strategy for moving forward in this area. There is a focus on skilling up the acute health and primary health care sectors to deal with ATOD issues and Anglicare would like to see this extended to embrace NGOs and government services who are working with disadvantaged groups where there is a high prevalence of problematic ATOD use.