Workforce Development

Workforce development and training opportunities for people working in the alcohol and other drug sector in Western Australia.

Upcoming Training and Workforce Development Opportunities

North Metro TAFE - Certificate IV Alcohol and Other Drugs

This qualification offers the opportunity to begin or enhance your career in the AOD sector; to supplement your existing qualification with a specialist Certificate, and/or; to formalise your existing experience in the Community Sector working with issues surrounding AOD use. The course covers all core AOD knowledge and skills from completing assessments to providing interventions.

On Campus study - NEW to TAFE in WA: Applications for full time study, at the Midland campus, in 2nd semester 2020 will be open from Wednesday 6th May 2020. Please complete and submit your full time application via our website. On campus study occurs in a supportive environment and is a great opportunity for students who want face to face time with lecturers, and interaction with fellow learners.

Employer Based Training: Employer-based training is a flexible self-paced training program offered to individuals currently working in a job role related to the qualification. Employer-based training allows you to attain a qualification without taking time off work to attend classes.

Online Study: Online study is completed over 18 months and is suited to self-motivated students who do not yet work in the sector and who have commitments that prevent them from studying on campus.

Fees: The Cert IV AOD is included in the 'Lower fees, local skills' initiative and the fees are half price until the end of 2021.

Queries and applications: Queries and applications can be sent via the North Metro TAFE website.

AOD Media Watch - ABC’s On the Sauce: Panel with Q&A
Hosted by Dr Stephen Bright, founder of AOD Media Watch, and featuring ABC journalist Flip Prior, Dr Kayt Davies who is a senior lecturer in journalism, public health expert Dr Julie Dare, and prominent AOD researcher Dr Monica Barratt
Wednesday 6 August 2020
6pm AWST (8pm AEST)
Livestream

Have you noticed that the media tend to focus on sensational stories about illegal drug use and remain pretty quiet when it comes to the significant harms experienced in Australian society from alcohol use?

Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Media Watch are proud to have partnered with ABC to host its first ever live panel discussion with the opportunity for the audience to ask the panellists questions to examine this very issue. It will continue the conversation that has been generated through ABC’s three-part biography/documentary “On the Sauce” hosted by Shaun Micallef. The event aims to explore:

Why is there less media reporting on alcohol?
What impacts does the disproportionate focus by the media have on the harms from alcohol
What impacts does the disproportionate focus by the media have on the harms illegal drugs?
How could the narrative of AOD embedded within our media change to facilitate a more positive relationship with AODs?
What can be done to change the narrative of AOD reporting in Australia?

Regester for AOD Media Watch Panel with Q&A - ABC’s On the Sauce on Facebook.

Turning Point - Pregnant women and alcohol use: Why is it such a problem?

Facilitated by Associate Professor Yvonne Bonomo, Dr Anna Tottman and Julie Blandthorn
Thursday 6 August 2020
11am - 12am (1pm - 2 pm AEST)
Webinar

Pregnant women and alcohol use: Why is it such a problem?
Through an exploration of alcohol use in pregnancy, this webinar will provide participants with the opportunity to have an understanding of the extent of the problem, effective management and treatment options in pregnancy, effect of alcohol on the developing fetus and what this means in later life as well as addressing the often asked question, "can you drink alcohol and safely breastfeed?"

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A. This webinar will be facilitated by Turning Point and presented by experienced clinicians from the Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service (WADS) at Royal Women’s Hospital.

Who should register?
This webinar is suitable for workers in the AOD, mental health, allied health and welfare sectors.
There is no cost to attend the Connect & Learn webinar series but registrations are essential.

To register please go to Turning Point.

National Centre for Suicide Prevention Training (WA) Inc. - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) Workshop
Thursday 6 and Friday 7 August 2020
9am - 5pm (please arrive at 8.45am on Thursday for registration)
Multi-purpose Space, Stirling Community Centre, Scarborough Beach
163 The Esplanade, Scarborough
Cost: $300 for the 2 full days.

For more information and to register, please download the document ASIST Workshop Registration Form (97 KB) .

AODtraining@MHC - ST340 Preventing relapse and supporting behaviour change over time

18 August 2020
9am - 4.30pm
Perth

For more information and to register, please visit AODTraining @ MHC - Preventing Relapse. For enquiries please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone (08) 6553 0560.

Applications close 28 July 2020.

AODtraining@MHC - ST269: Healthy women and pregnancies – Aboriginal focus on FASD prevention in communities

19-20 August 2020
9am - 4.30pm

For more information and to register, please visit AODtraining @ MHC Healthy Women and Pregnancy.
For enquiries please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone (08) 6553 0560.

Applications close 29 July 2020.

AODtraining@MHC - ST262 Mental State Exam

24 August 2020
9am - 4.30pm

For all event details and registrations, please visit AODtraining @ MHC - Mental State Examination. For enquiries, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone (08) 6553 0560.

Applications close 3 August 2020.

UNSW Social Policy Research Centre - How vulnerable is the alcohol and other drug treatment service sector?
A comparison between government and non-government providers
Presenter: Dr Katinka van de Ven (BA, MA (Crim), MSc (Clin Psych), PhD) - Dr van de Venis a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Rural Criminology at the University of New England, and a Visiting Fellow at the Drugs Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), UNSW Social Policy Research Centre
Monday 25 August 2020
1pm - 2pm AWST (3pm - 4pm AEST)
Online via Zoom

Many community, health and welfare services are provided on behalf of government by non-government organisations (NGOs). For alcohol and other drug treatment, NGOs provide 70% of all treatment episodes in Australia (the remaining 30% are provided by government services). But are NGOs different from their government service provider counterparts in terms of the treatment they provide, their workforce, and the way they are funded? Understanding differences between government and NGO providers is not only important to ensure that a comprehensive suite of treatment services is available and meets individual treatment needs, but to better understand the funding arrangements that provide alcohol and other drugs treatment services with security and sustainability.

This presentation will examine differences between Australian government and NGO alcohol and drug treatment providers in terms of (1) their treatment types and associated treatment settings, (2) their workforce, and (3) their procurement arrangements. We will also examine the extent to which treatment services are considered ‘vulnerable’; particularly whether NGOs are more vulnerable than government providers. Understanding systematic and structural differences between these systems of care is important for future treatment planning.

Need assistance to register for this seminar? Please call (02) 9385 5555 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

360Edge - Cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol and other drugs workers
26 and 27 August 2020
9am - 12pm
Online Interactive workshop
Earlybird – book before 17 August $290
Standard – book after 17 August $350
Combo - $435 (book both CBT for AOD workers and Integrating MI and CBT)

It's more than A-B-Cs! Understand the 'why' and the 'how' of CBT in this interactive back-to-fundamentals workshop focused on the transdiagnostic application of CBT in alcohol and other drugs practice.Limited seats remain. Book CBT for AOD workers.

360Edge- Integrating motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy

9 and 10 September 2020
9am - 12pm
Online Interactive workshop
Earlybird – book before 1 September $290
Standard – book after 1 September $350
Combo - $435 (book both CBT for AOD workers and Integrating MI and CBT)

Find out how to effectively blend the two core interventions in AOD treatment to achieve better client outcomes. This practice based workshop shows you how and when to utilise MI and CBT seamlessly throughout treatment from assessment to closure. This workshop is for those with some basic knowledge of CBT and MI wanting to refine their practice.

Limited seats remain. Book Integrating MI and CBT.

Curtin University Health Promotion - Planning, implementing and evaluation health promotion interventions

Commences 31 August 2020
Online

This is a flexible 12-week online introduction to health promotion short course.

Register and pay by 10 August at Curtin University Health Promotion 12 Week Online Course.

Centre for Social Impact at UWA - Graduate Certificate in Social Impact.

Applications for the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact Trimester 3 2020 close on Sunday 16 August 2020. CSI UWA has two $5,000 scholarships available to new and continuing students completing the graduate certificate. Applications are due by midnight 14 July, 2020.

Australian Government - COVID-19 Infection Control Training

This 30-minute online training module is for health care workers in all settings. It covers the fundamentals of infection prevention and control for COVID-19.

Access the online COVID-19 Infection Control Training. More information is also available in the Australian Government Department of Health information sheet Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for health care and residential care workers.

Make Smoking History - Smoking Cessation Brief Advice Online Training

The online courses will help staff make conversations about smoking, using the 3-step brief advice model, a regular part of their interactions with clients or patients. It will also increase their knowledge of best practice tobacco dependence treatment, and what services and resources are available to support clients or patients to reduce and quit smoking.

Everyone who works directly with clients or patients should undertake this training.

Visit Make Smoking History for more details.

SMART Recovery Australia - Online SMART Recovery Facilitator Training

Learn how to run an online SMART Recovery meeting by completing this six-hour interactive e-learning course. Part 2 of the training is a live and interactive two-hour video conference workshop that will run through simulated meeting scenarios and get you comfortable with facilitating online support groups.

Murdoch University - Train the Trainer: Family-based intervention for youth alcohol and other drug use and co-occurring mental health issues in Western Australia

Murdoch University is offering free Behaviour Exchange and Systems Therapy (BEST) facilitator training for clinicians across Western Australia.

BEST is an evidence-based, 8-week, multi-family group program for parents and their young persons (12-24yo) with substance use and/or mental health issues. Previously implemented and evaluated in Victoria, BEST was effective in engaging at-risk youth who initially refused services, reducing their substance use, problem behaviours and mental health symptoms, as well as improving family functioning.

Trained facilitators will gain accreditation through a two-day workshop and supervision in implementing the program in your service.

For more information, please download pdf Introduction to the BEST Implementation Project (238 KB) or contact the Murdoch Research Team via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Wild Butterfly Documentary Screenings

Nine years in the making, set in WA and meticulously researched. Wild Butterfly is a dramatized documentary that explores the trauma of childhood sexual violence and its relationship to ongoing mental health issues and drug use. It uncovers the hidden story behind a family’s tragic circumstances and opens our eyes to the impacts of social injustices and prejudices that could befall anyone.

View the Wild Butterfly trailer, find out how to host your own Wild Butterfly screening.

Australian Research Webinars

impact2020 – free webinars for the Australian for-purpose sector from the Centre for Social Impact.
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) Resources - Webinars
National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED) Webinars

Training and Workforce Development Providers

Anglicare WA - Professional Development Training - draws on more than 40 years’ experience as a leading service provider in the social services sector to develop and deliver quality training and professional development workshops to a range of audiences; from administration and teaching aids, to community service workers and psychologist through to lawyers and corporate groups.
Connecting Up - Online Learning Program - designed to build the capability of the not-for-profit sector and give you the knowledge and skills you need for greater impact. Webinars, online workshops, and other learning opportunities available.
Cracks in the Ice - This online training provides frontline workers, including peer workers, alcohol and other drug workers and clinicians, with information and resources about ice (crystal methamphetamine).
Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health - free training and information.
Evolve Events - Training and Human Development - Along with their training services, they offer a complete event management service.
Holyoake - DRUMBEAT Facilitator Training - Holyoake is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) that offers DRUMBEAT Facilitator Training to community and youth workers.
Karen Hulls - Complex Trauma Training WA - deliver a range of comprehensive training programs for workers and carers who work with children, youth, adults and families who have experienced complex trauma.
Mental Health Commission - AODtraining@MHC - provides a range of knowledge and skills-based training events on alcohol and other drugs and comorbidity. Events are free-of-charge and include induction training for new workers.
Mental Health Commission - E-learning@MHC - online learning programs aimed at professionals employed in the AOD sector and other professional staff working to prevent AOD-related harm.
National Comorbidity Guidelines Online Training - free, online training developed by by The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. Completion will take approximately 10 hours.
Relationships Australia WA - Professional Development - provides training for family and community support professionals to develop specialist relationship counselling, mediation and management skills. Training is provided from basic to advanced professional competency levels.
Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Assault - Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) in Western Australia e-learning package.
Richmond Wellbeing - courses&events - provide specialist, evidence-based training in Recovery-oriented approaches and practice, corporate training courses and a number of community and cultural events within supportive and inclusive environments.
SAFE in Oz - run workshops on working with people impacted by self-destructive behaviours.
SMART Recovery Program Training - SMART Recovery Australia offers training in the SMART Recovery behavioural change and addiction treatment program and how to run a SMART meeting in the community or your organisation.
Sexual Assault and Resource Centre (SARC) - provides quality, evidence based education and training opportunities on issues related to sexual assault and sexual abuse to professional workers, students and volunteers.
Turning Point Connect & Learn Webinars - presented by experienced clinicians from the alcohol and other drug sector.
The Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH) - offers a range of courses targeted to meet specific needs of the mental health workforce, enhance the skill development of roles which relate to mental health, and educate the wider community.
William Street Family Therapy Centre - provides family and relationship professionals with high quality hands-on training courses, workshops and supervision.
WISDOM in Your Life – Psychological and Aboriginal ways - provides training for mental health professionals.
Womens Health and Family Services - Training for Health Professionals - WHFS presentations, seminars, workshops and training sessions can be tailored to specific group interests and budgets. In addition WHFS offers a professional supervision and consultancy service for individual, group and organisational issues concerning women and families.

Useful Resources

pdf Comprehensive Alcohol and other Drug Workforce Development in Western Australia - Full Report (2.71 MB) - WANADA
2018 Peer Workforce Report - WA Peer Supporters' Network

WANADA provides information about training and workforce development through our e-newsletter FYI.