Proudly hosted by the Aboriginal Drug & Alcohol Council (SA) Aboriginal Corporation.

Assertive Community Care – An Aboriginal Perspective

24 Mar 2021
14.30
Ballroom 3

Assertive Community Care – An Aboriginal Perspective

Sydney Local Health District Assertive Community Management project is a key component of the 2016-17 NSW Drug Package. This Package allocated $14.5 million over four years to help people with severe substance dependence and highly complex needs.

The program assists people experiencing chronic severe substance use disorders with a complex pattern of health, social, legal, financial and family problems. These individuals often have difficulty engaging with conventional treatment. They may present also with, decreased cognitive function (temporary or continuing) and limited social supports

Deidre provides flexible, holistic and culturally sensitive health services to achieve better health outcomes and better access to treatment for Aboriginal people with drug and alcohol issues. She also work to provide client- and family-centred services that are culturally respectful and assist in the reducing barriers to access to clinical services for Aboriginal people, their families and communities.

Deidre provides outreach work to Aboriginal community in the Redfern/Waterloo area. She also attends a weekly women’s group at Redfern. As part of her role as an Aboriginal Support Worker Deidre also co-facilitates a Koori SMART recovery group in Waterloo.

In this presentation, Deidre describes the nature of her role, and the project. Deidre tells how she helps individuals and families understand and get the best possible care from a large mainstream drug and alcohol treatment service, and the ways she delivers culturally appropriate care in an inner-urban setting.