Following on from its work in assisting the Network of Drug and Alcohol Agencies (NADA) to develop a workforce development plan for the NSW NGO AOD sector, NCETA has been commissioned by the Northern Territory (NT) Primary Health Network (PHN) to undertake a comprehensive AOD sector workforce development needs assessment.
The project involves:
- Developing a comprehensive understanding of NT AOD workforce development needs as defined by the sector
- Identifying current workforce development gaps and how they could be addressed and resourced in a coordinated and ongoing basis
- Identifying opportunities for cross-sector training to strengthen referral pathways and responses
In undertaking this work, NCETA will consider the systems factors in which AOD workers are employed. These factors include:
- Interagency arrangements
- Recruitment and retention
- Working conditions and professional and career development
- Information management, knowledge transfer and research dissemination regarding evidence-based practice
- Organisational change management
- Clinical supervision, leadership, mentoring, supervision and workplace support.
To ensure that the unique geographical, historical and demographic characteristics of the NT AOD workforce are addressed, NCETA will:
- Consult with key stakeholders including face-to-face focus groups and key informant interviews
- Conduct an online written submission process
- Use the findings from the consultations identify key themes and issues to help inform the development of practical workforce development strategies and their implementation.
