Capability Building - Alcohol and other Drugs, Mental Health, and Family and Domestic Violence

Intersecting family and domestic violence and alcohol and other drug capability building initiative.

WANADA is working with the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing and Stopping Family Violence on a collaborative workforce development project to build the capability of services to address intersecting alcohol and other drug use and domestic and family violence.

The incidence of family and domestic violence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and Australians are now more aware of its prevalence.

Research shows that alcohol and other drug use, while not a cause, increases the frequency and severity of family and domestic violence incidents.

The government commitment to addressing family and domestic violence provides an opportunity for services that support people experiencing (victim-survivors), and those who use (perpetrators), family and domestic violence to increase their capability to address the intersecting issues. Improved outcomes will include increased safety and wellbeing of families.

The project has focused on supporting organisation development across the alcohol and other drug and family and domestic violence sectors.

Participating services have included an alcohol and other drug residential treatment service (both a mixed gender residential program, and a women and children’s residential program); a service/program that supports men who are perpetrators of family and domestic violence; and a service/program that supports women experiencing family and domestic violence.

As part of the initiative, the alcohol and other drug service workers received training on family and domestic violence, while family and domestic violence service workers received alcohol and other drug training.

Participating services also reviewed their capability to meet the needs of people with intersecting family and domestic violence and issues associated with alcohol and other drug use through a new supported self-review tool, developed as part of the project.

The tool has been trialled at the three participating services with managers and workers participating in the reviews, and consultation with service users where appropriate. Application of the tool has provided positive outcomes for the alcohol and other drug sector.

WANADA provides copies of The Intersecting Alcohol and other Drugs and Family and Domestic Violence Capability Review Tool (ICRT) and supporting resources to our member services on request.

The Intersecting family and domestic violence and alcohol and other drug capability building initiative was supported by the WA Government Department of Communities.

More Information

For more information about the project , please download the project summary (188 KB). If you have any questions or would like to request a copy of the Intersecting Alcohol and other Drugs and Family and Domestic Violence Capability Review Tool (ICRT), please contact WANADA on (08) 6557 9400 or via [email protected].