The Victorian Government releases guidelines to assist service providers to deliver particular alcohol and other drug treatment services.
The Department of Health & Human Services also produces a range of other guidelines on specialist alcohol and other drug issues. These assist alcohol and other drug workers, mental health workers, clinicians and other health professionals in areas such as inhalant use, clinical treatment of methamphetamine dependence and co-occurring brain injury and cognitive impairment and alcohol and other drug use disorders.
A guide is also available to assist alcohol and other drug services to support care that is sensitive to gender-related issues and individual needs.
Specific guidelines
Clinical treatment guidelines for alcohol and other drug clinicians
A series of clinical treatment guidelines for alcohol and other drug clinicians provides a range of useful resources on specific topics such as AOD withdrawal, relapse prevention, methamphetamine dependence and treatment, polydrug use and smoking cessation. More information is available from the Turning Point .
Service guideline for gender sensitivity and safety
The service guideline for gender sensitivity and safety (2011) provides specialist mental health and alcohol and other drug service workers and leaders with guidance to support care that is sensitive to gender-related issues, responsive to individual needs and that considers the range of factors that impact on people's wellbeing.
The guideline covers gender-sensitive care, trauma-informed care, family violence, childhood sexual abuse, bed-based services, responding to incidents, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people.
Methamphetamine dependence and treatment
Clinical treatment guidelines for alcohol and drug clinicians. No 14: Methamphetamine dependence and treatment includes a set of tools to address acute presentations as well as dependence and harm. Worksheets for the clinician and the client help monitor drug use, improve decision-making and problem-solving skills, and plan for relapse prevention.
Managing the response to inhalant use
Management response to inhalant use: Guidelines for the community care and drug and alcohol sector (2014) assists workers in services funded by the department who are working with people who use inhalants.
The guidelines address management of inhalant use in out-of-home care settings and in alcohol and other drug treatment settings.
Co-occurring acquired brain injury/cognitive impairment and alcohol and other drug use disorders
These guidelines are for clinicians working with clients with comorbid acquired brain injury and alcohol and other drug use disorder. The guideline includes a literature review, a key informants issues paper, an assessment guide and a set of treatment resources.
Reviewed 17 October 2016