In the ACT there are opportunities to better respond to women who use alcohol and other drugs (AOD) in harmful ways and who report experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV). The Enhancing supports for women affected by harmful alcohol and other drug use and domestic and family violence project uses an action research design to engage affected women, service providers, researchers and policy makers in the ACT to identify improved responses.
Project aims
- To identify similarities and differences in the paradigms of care and service delivery models of AOD treatment providers and service responses with women who have experienced DFV in the ACT (including identifying the underlying beliefs that drive care and ways of providing care).
- To determine and articulate the barriers and facilitators of the complex service delivery, cross-sectoral cooperation and holistic service provision related to AOD use and DFV.
- To explore the ways in which workers from AOD treatment providers and DFV services believe they could better cooperate to provide more effective services to these groups of women (including identifying the facilitators and barriers to integrated service responses and how service delivery could be better articulated and better match women’s needs).
- To develop, in collaboration with the service sectors, recommendations for good practice for inter-sectoral cooperation.
- To collaboratively build bridges between AOD treatment and DFV service providers including facilitating discussion and models of good practice for policy translation.
- To ultimately improve the lives of women affected by DFV and harmful AOD use and their children.
Research questions
- What are the key barriers to integrated service provision for women experiencing difficulty as a result of AOD use and DFV?
- What are the key facilitators to developing integrated service provision?
- How can AOD and DFV service providers better engage in the development of new integrated service models?
Project team
The project is being lead by:
- Dr Anna Olsen, Research School of Population Health, the Australian National University (ANU)
- Associate Professor Jan Breckenridge, Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN), University of New South Wales (UNSW)
- Dr Jenny Chalmers, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW
- Carrie Fowlie, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA)
Stakeholder consultations
Affected women and the AOD and DFV sectors were consulted and engaged throughout the second half of 2015 and beginning half of 2016.
Timeframe and funding
The report will be completed in October 2016. The project is funded through a small ACT Women’s Grant and through in-kind and other contributions including from ATODA, UNSW and ANU.
Project contact and further information
Please contact Carrie Fowlie, Executive Officer, ATODA on carrie@atoda.org.au or (02) 6249 6358
Last Updated on 10 August 2016