This Toolkit aims to distill what was learned during the implementation of the project Opening Doors - Increasing access to effective harm reduction interventions for vulnerable and marginalised young drug users, supported by AidsFonds, Netherlands.
Purpose
The purpose of the Toolkit is to provide a set of training sessions to stimulate discussion that can lead to ‘youth friendly harm reduction’ services. This may entail review of services, their renewal and, possibly, re-design.
The topics covered in each of the 16 training sessions are as follows:
- Youth-Friendly Services
- Youth-Friendly Services II
- Harm Reduction For Young People Who Use Drugs
- NSP, Outreach, Drop-in-Centres, Risk and Safety
- Drugs, Withdrawal, Overdose and OST
- BBIs, HIV, HCV, HBV, TB, STIs
- Health and Nutrition
- Mental Health and Well-being
- Basic Counselling
- Motivational Enhancement
- Group work
- Relapse prevention
- Building Young Leaders – Peer Educators
- Activities
- Essential Networks and advocacy
- The Change Process
Each session in the Toolkit includes:
- Written reference material
- Diagrams and images to explain key concepts
- Provacative questions to stimulate group brain storming
- Questions for smaller group discussions
Attached here is only the PDF component of the Toolkit. The full Toolkit comes with an accompanying CD/USB. For further information, please contact Dr John Howard john.howard@unsw.edu.au
Who is the Toolkit for?
The Toolkit can be used with a variety of audiences, and a mix and match approach can be useful. For example,
- Staff of a particular service
- Staff from other services
- Community groups
- Key stakeholders
- Young people who use drugs
- All of the above participating in the same training – an ‘ideal approach’
What the kit does NOT provide
The Toolkit does not aim at teaching or developing specific skills. The aim is to:
- Promote reflection on current practice
- The identification of specific areas that necessitate workforce capacity building
- The development of essential and supportive networks to provide what cannot currently be provided, and, possibly
- Facility re-design (for example, re-design of space allocation and use to which space is allocated) or additions (for example, in the form of equipment).
How to use the Toolkit:
The Toolkit can be used in a variety of ways:
- It can be used for staff training for a particular service. ‘Staff’ includes managers, clinicians, residential, peer and outreach workers and volunteers.
- It can form the (or part of) curriculum for staff training hosted by a particular service for their own and staff of other services.
- Individuals can use it in a self-directed format.
Citation: Howard, J. (2011). “Opening doors” enhancing youth-friendly harm reduction: a toolkit. Chiang Mai, Thailand: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales and Access Quality International.