This training is for AOD workers who would like to develop their skills in working with trans and gender diverse (TGD) communities.
We invite you to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of TGD people, focusing on Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) issues and strategies for engaging with support services. The session will discuss population specific considerations and provide practical insights and in-depth reflections on the real-life impacts faced by the community.
Location: Online (Your zoom link will be sent to you a few days before the training)
Key topics covered:
- Overview of basic concepts regarding TGD people (sexuality =/= gender; pronouns; definitions)
- Data and statistics for different TGD populations relating to AOD, mental health and access to support
- Minority stress and incremental trauma
- Language
- Social construction of gender
- Community specific AOD presentations (Chemsex, Party and play (PnP), access to community, hormone therapy)
- Gender affirmation
- What does inclusive and affirmative practice for TGD people look like?
- Current research
- Reflective practice and case studies
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service, including Peer and LLE workers and workers participating in the AOD Traineeship Program.
Who is not eligible?
Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as family violence, homelessness, mental health, and AOD workers outside of Victoria. Please ensure you have clearance from your line manager to attend. If you cannot attend, cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waitlist.
No-shows will be charged a $50 cancellation fee.
The AOD Collaborative ECHO (ACECHO) partnership involves VAADA, Turning Point, and Goulburn Valley Health. This dedicated ECHO for Victorian AOD state-funded services aims to enhance the capabilities of AOD workers in addressing substance use issues among their clients. The primary objective of these sessions is to foster a community of AOD workers with varying levels of expertise, united by the shared goal of improving the well-being, and achieving positive outcomes, for individuals with problematic substance use.
Conducted under the guidance of Turning Point, each session commences with a presentation delivered by a Turning Point expert or a related professional, focusing on a specific topic. This is followed by an in-depth case consultation, during which attendees have the opportunity to ask questions or offer recommendations based on a case study presented by one of the participants.
20th November, 2024
The invisible supports: Families and carers of people living with substance use problems or addiction
Presenter – Dr Keri Alexander
Dr Keri Alexander is an addiction medicine specialist at Hamilton Centre and Austin Health and has many years of experience in a variety of AOD and family violence programs, including Family Drug Helpline. She advocates for people living with substance use and addiction issues, as well as their carers, to be treated with dignity and respect.
Submit a Case Presentation to ACECHO
Case presentations by participating healthcare providers are the cornerstone of the ECHO model. Presentations are always followed by an open Q & A discussion of the case and recommendations by the hub team. To submit a case study, click Go to Form.
Go to Form
Course Description:
This training supports practitioners and AOD workers to engage and include families when working with clients. SSFC offers timely, accessible support to all family members while retaining a strong client–practitioner relationship. In keeping with single session thinking, it enables practitioners to make the most of each encounter with families.
- 3-4 hour self-paced online learning unit (duration depends on your respective learning style)
- 3-hour in-person training at The Bouverie Centre, 8 Gardiner St, Brunswick
Pre-requisite: Participants must complete a online learning component before the in-practice sessions. Links to online training will be provided to participants approximately six weeks prior to the in-practice training dates (Early October).
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of SSFC, you will be able to:
- Understand the Single Session Thinking and Family Consultation frameworks that underpin SSFC
- Convene, conduct and undertake follow-up as part of SSFC
- Address challenging situations in sessions with families
- Identify how you can incorporate SSFC into your practice
Eligibility Criteria
This training has been funded for workers employed in a Victorian State-funded Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service.
Who is not eligible?
Students on placement or internships, workers from other community sectors such as Family Violence, Homelessness and Mental Health and AOD workers outside of Victoria. Please ensure you have clearance from your line manager to attend. If you cannot attend, even if you find out the day before, please cancel your registration and make your spot available to someone else on the waiting list.
Doing Difference Differently aims to teach intersectionality in ways you can apply to your everyday practice.
The unit takes approximately 60 minutes to complete.
Learning objectives:
This course aims to provide you with tools, concepts, and frameworks to unpack how specific differences between people are made or constructed and how these differences are made to matter through hierarchies and binaries of status and value.
In this course you will learn:
- Identity and representations: what is intersectionality? What isn’t intersectionality?
- Power: understanding power and harnessing power
- Framing and Representation: putting intersectionality to work
To access the course: Make sure you are signed up or signed in,
Click on ENROL NOW. Click on the GO TO TRAINING button (it will appear once you are enrolled)
Create an account with Insight Queensland to receive your certificate of learning.
The Forensic Foundations E-learn is designed for new Alcohol & Other Drug (AOD) sector staff to provide foundational knowledge to support the provision of AOD treatment of forensic clients. This one-hour e-learn will assist you in navigating the forensic AOD system and processes. The content was developed by VAADA, and the e-learn was designed by Caraniche. Specifically, the e-learn course will provide you with foundational knowledge about the following:
- how a forensic client is defined
- the differences between forensic and voluntary clients
- the key stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities
- the AOD funding system (targets and loadings for forensic treatment)
- treatment options for forensic clients
- the main referral pathways between the criminal justice and AOD treatment systems
- clinical safety, supervision and self-care
Details: Free training to build core skills in eating disorder identification and care
Date: Free of charge until the 30th of June 2026
Location: Online – eLearning module via NEDC
Description
This is a free training for AOD sector workers, health, mental health and lived experience workers, for a one-time professional development initiative to build knowledge and skills in prevention, identification, and evidence-based approaches to eating disorders and associated concerns.
This training will help practitioners to engage safely and confidently with people around topics of food, body image, and eating as part of routine care across a wide range of roles and settings.
About the initiative
As part of a collaborative effort to implement the National Eating Disorders Strategy and the Victorian Eating Disorders Strategy, the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC), in partnership with the Victorian Department of Health, the Centre for Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED), and Eating Disorders Victoria (EDV), is offering a suite of eLearning courses free of charge to Victorian health professionals until 30 June 2026.
Participants receive free access to eLearning modules that form part of a stepped skill development pathway, tailored to discipline, service and role.
Registration: To register, please follow the instructions here: Foundations in Eating Disorders: Identification eLearning
Further information
