Draft South Australian Alcohol and Other Drug Sector Workforce Development Framework 2024-2032

Have your say on the draft Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) sector workforce development framework to help inform and guide workforce priorities in South Australia.

What's being decided?

The draft South Australian AOD Sector Workforce Development Framework 2024-2032 (the Draft Framework) aims to inform workforce development priorities for the AOD sector over the next eight years that will contribute to a sustained, capable, and collaborative workforce.

We are seeking feedback from key stakeholders across the specialist AOD sector and the broader health workforce who provide AOD responses on the priorities, objectives, and associated actions outlined in the Draft Framework. These priorities focus on:

• securing a new workforce for the future
• developing a capable and collaborative workforce
• supporting workers who provide AOD treatment
• promoting a digitally and technologically enabled workforce
• promoting a culturally safe and competent workforce.

Background

The Draft Framework supports the SA government's commitment to partnering with the non-government alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector on workforce strategy and planning, to address critical workforce shortages.

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (DASSA) led this work, with oversight from Workforce Services, Department for Health and Wellbeing (SA Health), and in partnership with the non-government sector.

The Draft Framework is informed by relevant literature, sector consultation, and workforce data, including an inaugural AOD workforce census.

The target audience for the Draft Framework is the publicly funded, specialist AOD workforce in South Australia who provide AOD services as a core part of their role. This includes the:

• treatment workforce
• lived-living experience workforce
• rural and remote workforce, and
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce.

Capacity building and collaboration between the specialist AOD workforce and broader health workforce is also an area of focus within the Draft Framework.

We are seeking input on the Draft Framework from agencies who are publicly funded to provide AOD services in South Australia as a core part of their business.

We also want to hear from other representatives across the health system including:

• services who provide screening, assessment, referral, or other interventions for people with AOD presentations as part of the health services they offer such as:
  • Local Health Networks
  • Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
  • primary health care providers, and
  • mental health services
• AOD peak bodies
• representatives of the AOD lived-living experience workforce
• AOD consumer representatives
• AOD commissioning bodies
• AOD research bodies, and
• other AOD sector representatives.

Get involved

Find out more:

• read the Draft Framework
• take a look at our FAQs

Have your say by:

• taking our survey below, and/or
• uploading a submission or your feedback online via YourSAY - see below. Or you can email a submission or your feedback to HealthDASSAcommunications@sa.gov.au.

We ask for one coordinated response per organisation or representative body.

Please note: We may make your feedback publicly available after the consultation has closed, unless you indicate on your submission that you wish for this to remain confidential. Responses made on a confidential basis may still be subject to access under Freedom of Information laws.

What are the next steps?

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (DASSA), SA Health, will consider your feedback when finalising the South Australian AOD Sector Workforce Development Framework 2024-2032.