Training Program 2008

“There’s more to drug use than drugs”:
Innovative concepts, ideas and practices related to the social determinants of drug use, assets based community development and resilience.

Bridges ran a full day training event in collaboration with Family Workers Training and Development Program (FWTDP) linking together theory and practice around contextual and strength-based and resilience principles of working with individuals, families and communities.

Background to the Event                                        
Addressing the social determinants of drug use requires a systemic approach and cannot be achieved in isolation. To strengthen families and communities and bring about systemic change takes time and involves many of us sharing our ideas and resources and working together.

The Bridges Strategy, which is coordinated by Blacktown Alcohol and other Drugs Family Services (BADFS), has been seeking to play its part in coordinating a strengths-based approach to addressing the social determinants of drug use. Despite many challenges and numerous stops and starts, the networks that have so far been developed and/or linked through the Bridges strategy, keep getting stronger and the potential for significant, positive change increases.  This event was organised as part of the Bridges strategy and provided a networking opportunity for the skills, energies and resources from the sector to link and further develop capacity to address the social determinants of drug use.  

Key Speakers

• Dr Catherine Spooner - Senior Research Fellow, Social Policy and Research Centre, UNSW and co-author of the NDARC Report Social Determinants of Drug Use
• Peter Slattery - Therapist, educator, facilitator and trainer who has worked with adults, young people and their families in the community, health and youth fields for 25 years. Peter has a long involvement with the Bridges Strategy which is currently utilising his Resilience Principles.  
• Amanda Howard and Kylie Frazer - Amanda has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and a Bachelor of Social Work with over 17 years experience working with groups and communities in London, Sydney and on the Central Coast. Kylie has a degree in Social Science and over 20 years of experience in community development & social planning. Kylie’s work has involved working collaboratively with the community, government and non government agencies and the private sector, sourcing funding and empowering communities.
• Tirrania Suhood -  Manager of BADFS & Coordinator of the Bridges Strategy

“While drug prevention and treatment have traditionally focused on changing individual behaviours, such efforts can only have limited impact when changes are not made to the environment, that is, to the social determinants of drug use. These include the social and cultural environment, the economic environment and the physical  environment.” Social determinants of drug use, 2004, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of NSW.

As a collaborative project between FWTDP and BADFS, this event provided participants with an opportunity to explore systemic and strengths-based approaches to addressing drug issues and practical approaches to sharing our skills, energies and resources to address the social determinants of drug use. Participants learnt through a mix of presentations by the speakers, discussion and work-shopping.

Learning Goals
Increased understanding of :

• social determinants of drug use
• resilience and assets-based community development (ABCD)
• how to apply these concepts when working with individuals, families and communities
• how these concepts are currently being applied through the Bridges Strategy