Home > Alcohol and other drugs workforce development issues and imperatives: setting the scene.

Roche, Ann Marie and Pidd, Ken (2010) Alcohol and other drugs workforce development issues and imperatives: setting the scene. Adelaide: National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction.

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This document builds on the body of work undertaken by NCETA in relation to AOD workforce development over the past decade. This report has been prepared to inform the development of a National Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Workforce Development (WFD) Strategy. It describes the background, context and issues currently facing the AOD workforce and outlines steps for the development of a national strategy. The present document provides substantially broader data than previously available and incorporates new conceptual models of workforce development.

This document is set out in two main parts – Part A and Part B, preceded by an executive summary that outlines recommendations for a national workforce development strategy. Part A also contains five chapters that address key elements of relevance to the development of national workforce development strategies. Each chapter ends with a summary and an outline of implications for a national workforce development strategy. The five chapters contained in Part A cover the following issues.

Chapter 1: Workforce development an overview
Provides an overview of why AOD workforce development is a priority. It details encouraging developments that have occurred to-date but also notes that a comprehensive and strategic approach executed at the national level has been missing to this point in time and is now pressingly required.

Chapter 2: The wider context
Highlights the importance of considering the wider workforce and service delivery system within which the AOD field operates and the relevance of this wider context to the development of a national workforce development strategy. It also outlines the need for a national strategy to be able to accommodate emerging trends and the adoption of evidence based practice.

Chapter 3: Broadening the definition of workforce development
Details a broad definition of workforce development that incorporates a systems approach to individual and organisational change is presented. This section also examines different models of workforce development and implications of these models for a national workforce development strategy.

Chapter 4: The structure of the Australian AOD workforce
Provides an overview of available data concerning the AOD workforce, identifies gaps in this data and underscores the importance of on-going workforce mapping and workforce planning for a national workforce development strategy.

Chapter 5: Contemporary workforce development issues
Describes current workforce development challenges facing the AOD field. These include issues such as recruitment and retention, education and training, professional development, accreditation and minimum qualifications, salaries and awards, leadership and management, workplace support and worker wellbeing.

Part B contains five chapters which provide more detailed data from the 13 surveys undertaken to date that profile the AOD specialist and generalist workforces.


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