Consumer Participation

History of Consumer Participation in the Victorian AOD SectorPresenters:

Regina Brindle (Consumer Participation Facilitator at UnitingCare ReGen and Odyssey House

Edita Kennedy (Project Worker at The Association of Participating Service Users)

Association of Participating Service Users

• Service of Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC)

• Established in late 2000

• APSU has 600 members: service users, family members, service providers and others

• APSU believes that people who use alcohol and other drug treatment services are the reason the system exists; their needs, strengths and expertise should drive the system.

UnitingCare ReGen

Unitingcare ReGen is the leading alcohol

and other drug (AOD) treatment and

education agency of UnitingCare Victoria

and Tasmania. ReGen is a not for-profit agency,

which has over 40 years experience

delivering a comprehensive range of AOD

Services to the community.

Relationship between APSU and UnitingCare ReGen

(formerly Moreland Hall)

From Flipside n. 1, May 2001

We will identify the challenges for the practice of consumer participation in the Victorian AOD sector and the effective responses to these challenges.

Challenge:

Lack of policy to guide and inform practice

Shaping the Future - The Victorian Alcohol and Other Drug Quality Framework - April 2008

Standard 1: Consumer Focus

Consumer participation refers to a range of practices and processes that actively enhance inclusion of consumers in decisions about their own health care, service planning, program development and the addressing of quality issues.

Policy to guide and inform practice

Dual Diagnosis Key Directions and

Priorities for Service Development 2007

Service Development Number 5:

Consumers and carers are involved in the planning and

evaluation of service responses.

Policy to guide and inform practice

A new blueprint for alcohol and other drug treatment services 2009-2013

Client-centred, service-focused

Client Centred Principle No 1.

A client-centred system is one that acknowledges clients and their family, social

and cultural connections. Effective treatment recognises the things that are

important to clients and utilises their family and cultural connections to suppor

them in achieving lasting behaviour change and linking them with the other services

and support they require.

Policy to guide and inform practice

Challenge:

Lack of money

APSU: core funding (State Government)project funding (State Government)Philanthropies

Federal Government’s Improved Services Initiative

ReGen Financial processes: Consumer participation included as a budget line in funding submissions.

Money

Challenge:

Lack of consumer participation in systemic and organisational processes

Processes• QICSA: The standard for

consumer participation

• APSU’s KPIs: regional meetings, presentations at service providers conference, quarterly reporting to the Government

• ReGen: organisational audit of consumer participation practices

Challenge:

Lack of knowledge

Knowledge / education

APSU:

• Peer Helper Training

• Consumer participation training for consumers

• Straight from the Source manual

• Consumer participation training for service providers.

Knowledge / education

ReGen:

• Consumer participation training for consumers

• Consumer participation included in orientation training for staff.

Challenge:

Tokenism

Addressing tokenism

Client Chart of Rights and Responsibilities (based on the Victorian Charter of Rights and Responsibilities 2006)

Client Complaints SystemClient Feedback System

UnitingCare ReGen

Challenge:

Power imbalance

Addressing power imbalance

ReGen :

Systems set up for people who use services to participate in governance and contribute to key policy documents.

Challenge:

Lack of human rights focus in AOD sector

Human Rights

Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities 2006

Victorian AOD Client Charter 2011

UnitingCare Regen Client Charter

Challenge:

Absence of consumer participation in funding and service agreements.

Consumer participation practice in funding and

service agreements

Newly Reformed Victorian Alcohol and other Drug Services, Service specification calls for consumer participation as part of service delivery in the catchments.

ReGen and Odyssey Catchments x 4

Consumer and Family Participation in

accordance to Criterion 4.

Consumer Participation model includes the

work of a consumer participation team and

systems to enable the practice across the

catchments.

15 years later

We now have policies, processes, practices, knowledge, consumer councils, advisory groups…

Cultural change remains the main ongoing process necessary for effective consumer participation practice.

References

Brindle, R. and Clarke, M. (2011,)Straight from the Source: A Practical Guide for Consumer Participation

in the Victorian Alcohol and other Drug Sector, Melbourne,

Victorian Department of Human Services (2008) A new blueprint for alcohol and other drug treatment

services 2009-2013: Client-centred, service-focused, Victorian Department of Human Services,

Melbourne,

Victorian Department of Human Services (2007) Dual diagnosis: Key directions and priorities for service

development, Victorian Department of Human Services, Melbourne,

Victorian Department of Human Services (2008) Shaping the future: The Victorian AOD quality

framework, Victorian Department of Human Services, Melbourne.