This document summarizes the history of consumer participation in the Victorian alcohol and other drug sector. It discusses the challenges faced in establishing consumer participation, such as lack of policy, funding, and knowledge. It outlines how organizations like the Association of Participating Service Users (APSU) and UnitingCare ReGen have worked to address these challenges through developing policies, training programs, advisory boards, and ensuring consumer participation is included in funding agreements. While progress has been made, ongoing cultural change is still needed to fully achieve effective consumer participation.

1. History of Consumer
Participation in the
Victorian AOD Sector
Presenters:
Regina Brindle (Consumer Participation Facilitator at
UnitingCare ReGen and Odyssey House
Edita Kennedy (Project Worker at The Association of
Participating Service Users)

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Relationship between
APSU and UnitingCare ReGen
(formerly Moreland Hall)
From Flipside n. 1, May 2001

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

6. Challenge:
Lack of policy to guide and
inform practice

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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
Policy to guide and inform practice

10. Challenge:
Lack of money

11. 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

12. Challenge:
Lack of consumer participation in
systemic and organisational
processes

13. 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

14. Challenge:
Lack of knowledge

15. Knowledge / education
APSU:
• Peer Helper Training
• Consumer participation training for
consumers
• Straight from the Source manual
• Consumer participation training for
service providers.

16. Knowledge / education
ReGen:
• Consumer participation training
for consumers
• Consumer participation included
in orientation training for staff.

17. Challenge:
Tokenism

18. Addressing tokenism
Client Chart of Rights and Responsibilities
(based on the Victorian Charter of Rights
and Responsibilities 2006)
Client Complaints System
Client Feedback System
UnitingCare ReGen

19. Challenge:
Power imbalance

20. Addressing power imbalance
ReGen :
Systems set up for people who use services
to participate in governance and contribute
to key policy documents.

21. Challenge:
Lack of human rights focus in
AOD sector

22. Human Rights
Victorian Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities 2006
Victorian AOD Client Charter 2011
UnitingCare Regen Client Charter

23. Challenge:
Absence of consumer
participation in funding and
service agreements.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.