Care and Complexity: Towards a re-designed Victorian AOD Service System

Care and Complexity: Towards a re-designed Victorian AOD Service System is a new summary report by the University of New South Wales and the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) which highlights the difficulties Victorian’s face getting drug treatment.

The commissioned report found the drug treatment system is beset with systemic inefficiencies, which multiple reforms have failed to fix.  Navigating the drug treatment system and trying to get help is complex and time consuming, according to the report.

We hope that as the Victorian Government embarks on the development of a new drug strategy, this report will help provide a roadmap to a more accessible AOD treatment system in Victoria.

Informed by sector consultations and interviews, the Drug Modelling Policy Program (DPMP) of UNSW review of the current state of the Victorian Alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment system, makes 8 recommendations including reviewing the intake system, enhancing cross-sector linkages for the AOD service system where there is a high prevalence of AOD need, and reforming the unit-cost funding model or Drug Treatment Activity Unit (DTAU) which fails to resource much of the activity necessary to support Victorians into recovery.