Workforce development is a broad area of work with one common goal – making sure people, and systems, are competent in the job they do. Although the subject can at times seem a little dry, it is important not to lose sight of its ultimate goal in our sector – the recovery of people with drug and alcohol problems (some of the most vulnerable people in our society) as well as their families and communities. To achieve this goal the practitioners, service-managers, commissioners and others that make up drug and alcohol treatment systems must be confident, competent and safe in carrying out their work and, ultimately, turning around lives.

The resources in this briefing will help cultivate this competence by enabling readers to effectively carry out some of the basic processes that are essential to service delivery: recruiting and supervising staff; managing organisational change; effective team working and more.