Education and Training Unit

UnitingCare Moreland Hall is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). Its Education and Training team provides a comprehensive service which is informed by the latest research and also draws on the practical experience, and insights gained from direct service delivery.

The Education and Training Team:

• Offers customised programs which are tailored to the specific needs of clients, organisations and community groups
• Provides competency based training
• Develops, auspices and delivers, state-wide educational and psychoeducational programs
• Develops a variety of publications and resources which are used throughout Australia

Through the services it provides, Education and Training aims to:

• Increase the skills and knowledge of staff working in the AOD and allied health sector
• Increase community capacity to respond to AOD issues
• Provide information support and advocacy for drug and alcohol users and their families
• Facilitate positive behavioural change in line with emerging research and best practice
• Prevent and /or reduce drug related harm

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Customised Programs

What Education And Training Can Offer You Or Your Organisation
Services are offered on a fee for service basis.

Professional Groups and Community Groups: The unit provides Alcohol and Other Drug training to a wide range of professional and community groups. This training may be tailored to meet particular needs through consultation with the group or it can be Competency training designed to provide the target group with one of the National Alcohol and Other Drug Competencies as part of the Community Services training package.

Specific groups that the unit has designed training for includes librarians, council staff, parent groups, school nurses, child care workers, volunteers, foster parents and many more. Parenting programs can be provided in a range of community languages.

Industry: Education and Training can also work with corporations, industry and workplaces to assist them in addressing the issue of drug use as it impacts upon the workplace.

Evaluation Services: In 2004 Education and Training conducted the Pharmacotherapy Support Program Evaluation for the Department of Human Services, Drugs and Poisons Unit. The evaluation encompassed an extensive interview process, focus groups, the design and administration of a state-wide pharmacist survey and a literature review. Our services have also been used in the evaluation of prison drug education programs as well as a number of Training Needs Evaluations.

Schools: Education and Training Unit staff are well qualified to provide services to schools. Some have worked within schools as teachers or as health care professionals.

UnitingCare Moreland Hall has conducted over 100 parent drug education programs for the Department of Human Services to parents in State and Independent primary and secondary schools. A parent program can be a 'one-off' 2.5 or 3 hour session or can be delivered over 2 nights in successive weeks (topics covered include: values and attitudes; what is a drug?; drug categories; young people and drug use; what can parents do?; the risk and resilience framework; young people and drug scenarios; a guide to young people and parties)

Successful in-services have been conducted for school teachers, counselling staff and management team members. These can be tailored to meet the needs of your particular school community.

We work with teachers to provide interactive education sessions to support drug education programs in the curriculum. We have provided education to students in year levels from 8 to 12 on topics such as cannabis and alcohol, party drugs, party planning, drug services etc. Ideally, an Education and Training Unit staff member will work with the staff member to tailor the education session to suit the group of students and the aims of the curriculum module.

Community Groups: Many community groups have used Education and Training to provide information and education on drug related matters which concern them. These groups include parent associations, volunteer groups, ethnic social groups, church groups, residents’ associations etc. Special sessions can be organised to be part of a conference, forum, meeting, or symposium.

Professional Groups: Education and Training has provided training to a very diverse range of professionals. Training needs are comprehensively researched and training is tailored to meet the time available for staff as well as the work related needs of participants. Our training programs are always interactive, engaging, informative and practical. Professional groups who have experienced our programs include:

• Hospital based and maternal and health care nurses
• Disability service staff
• GPs
• Housing service workers
• Youth residential care workers
• Community Health Service staff
• Reception workers
• Alcohol and Other Drug Workers
• Koori services workers
• Prison Officers
• Children’s Services Workers
• Teachers

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State-wide and Psychoeducational Programs

ABCD – Parenting Young Adolescents (see www.abcdparenting.org)

The Parenting Research Centre worked in partnership with Moreland Hall to develop and disseminate this innovative parent education program across Victoria. The project titled ABCD was funded by the Victorian Department of Human Services as part of the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services National Illicit Drug Strategy.

The program is designed for parents who have children between the ages of around 12 to 14. It aims to provide parents with information, skills and strategies for developing and maintaining trusting, positive and accepting relationships with their young adolescents. The program encourages parents to allow their children to develop their independence within safe limits, and thus minimise the chances of their adolescent children engaging in high-risk activities such as drug misuse.

To find out more about the program go to the Parenting Research Centre website.

Cautious With Cannabis (see www.cautiouswithcannabis.com.au)

This 2 hour free education program is designed for anyone who has received a caution from the police or for people who are concerned about their cannabis use and would like more information and some assistance. It is also available to family members and friends of those who use cannabis and have these concerns.

The program is widely available and is usually held monthly from different locations state-wide.

For more information see the CWC page on this website.

FOCiS (First Offender Court intervention Service)

This 2.5 hour free education program is for those who are referred by the courts on an undertaking to complete an education program. This undertaking means that a conviction is not recorded.

The program is designed for participants who have been charged on a first time drug offence for possession and/or use of a small quantity of a drug other than cannabis.

For more information see the FOCis page on this website.

Drug Drive Education Program

The 8 hour education program was designed when new legislation was enacted in 2000 providing for those apprehended of a drug driving offence.

The program matches the 8 hour drink driving program for those who lose their licences due to a drink driving offence.

This education program is currently available at UnitingCare Moreland Hall (and other metro and rural providers) at 26 Jessie Street, Moreland and costs the participant $200.

Before enrolling for the program an assessment must be undertaken – for details and locations for the assessment contact Direct Line on 1800 888 236.

For more information about the Drug Drive Education Program please call 9386 2876.

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Registered Training Organisation (RTO) 20956

UnitingCare Moreland Hall has been a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) since 2000. It is approved to deliver the Training Package Qualification: CHC41702 Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work.

UnitingCare Moreland Hall was part of the Department of Human Services Workforce Development Strategy which involved an Education and Training Workforce Advisor working in close collaboration with 20 State-wide Agencies in the AOD service system. The role of the advisor was to assist agencies to meet the DHS Minimum Qualification Standards which were introduced from July 2006.

In its role as an RTO UnitingCare Moreland Hall has conducted Alcohol and Other Drug National Competency training to the following groups:

• Community Corrections Officers
• Koori workers
• Housing workers
• AOD workers
• Primary health workers and Mental Health workers

To find out more information please call 9386 2876.

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Publications and Resources

UnitingCare Moreland Hall has designed a range of products to meet alcohol and other drug training or information needs. These include videos designed for prison drug education programs, a hand-book for clients exiting withdrawal services and the Big Book on Drugs series – designed specifically for young people.

Order forms

(204kb E&T pdf order form or 411kb E&T Word order form)
for Education and Training resources including The Big Book on Drugs Series and the Take It Away Handbook. Please note: this order form is updated as of November 2006

Prisons

Education and Training has designed many drug education programs for use in the prison setting. These include the following:

• Drug Education
• Relapse Prevention
• Indochinese Drug Education Program
• Cannabis Education Program
• Drinking and Driving Program
• Methadone Program

Education and Training has also designed videos to be used in a correctional setting (including Juvenile Justice) as part of a drug education program (see Resources and Publications).

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Seminar Series

The first regular drug and alcohol Seminar Series in Melbourne.

Our Seminar Series events are free monthly seminars for health professionals, held at UnitingCare Moreland Hall. Events in 2007 will be provided shortly.

Go to the Seminar Series webpage on this site.

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