Author Archives: James

Manager, Alcohol Projects (Western Australia)

“INJURY CONTROL COUNCIL OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Manager, Alcohol Projects

Fulltime (37.5 hours/week)

Salary Range: $60,638 – 67,017 depending on experience
_____________________________________________
ICCWA is the peak not for profit organisation involved in injury prevention and community safety promotion in Western Australia. ICCWA is an Equal Employment Opportunity organisation.

We are looking for a highly motivated, multi-skilled person to join our dynamic injury prevention team. Your key responsibilities will include:

Developing, implementing, managing and evaluating alcohol-related campaigns, programs and projects in the alcohol area;
Preparing funding submissions and reports;
Advocating on behalf of the community with regard to alcohol issues; and
Liaising with other community, non-government and government organisations about alcohol issues.

For further information or an application kit please contact Deborah Costello on (08) 9420 7212 or email dcostello@iccwa.org.au

Please send your applications to:

The President, Injury Control Council of Western Australia, City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi Street, West Perth 6005.

Applications should include a current Resume and a brief statement addressing the selection criteria (no longer than 4-5 pages).

Applications close 5pm Friday 18th January 2008.”

Psychologist / Senior Psychologist (Wollongong, NSW)

“Wollongong Crisis Centre Drug & Alcohol Services Inc

Provides 24hr Residential Detoxification and Rehabilitation Services.

We currently have a 3 year position available (min 24hrs per wk) for a psychologist/senior psychologist to help with staff training and the further improvement of our evidence based treatment programs.

Interested in helping the people who work with people who have Drug & Alcohol problems?

Want experience in an Accredited Organisation that has achieved Leading Practice in the field?

If you would like to work with a very professional & progressive team, then this may be for you. In a cover letter all applicants need to explain how they meet the following criteria:

Essential:

Registration with NSW Psychologist Registration Board. Minimum 4 years.
Demonstrated knowledge of the skills needed within the Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol Fields.
Experience in providing supervision & training to a work group
Demonstrated skills and experience working with psychological assessment and report writing
Excellent written & oral communication skills
Current drivers license

Desirable:

Experience working in a residential AOD service
Experience in workplace training & assessment
Reliable work history
Self-motivated

Thank you for your interest. Please send your cover letter and CV to:

Manager

Wollongong Crisis Centre

P.O Box 25

Berkeley NSW 2506

Ph 42729785

or e-mail manager@wccaod.com

Applications close 17th Dec 2007.”

Health Promotion Officer (Wollongong, NSW)

“The Health Promotion Officer is instrumental in the coordination of health promotion programs in HIV/AIDS, sexual health and hepatitis C. This will include planning, developing, implementation and evaluation of health promotion programs.

This position will concentrate on health promotion for the priority groups, including youth, PLWHA, gay men and sex workers. The aim of these programs is to reduce the incidence and impact of HIV, sexually transmissible infections and hepatitis C.

Budget No./Position No.: 2516300A04
Position Title: Health Promotion Officer
Facility: Population Health & Planning – Area
Location: Wollongong
Classification: Health Education Officer – Graduate
Award: 25 – Health Education Officers Determination
Employment Status: Permanent Full Time
Hours: 38 hours per week

Essential Criteria:

1. Relevant tertiary qualifications in social/behavioural sciences or public health/community health or education or equivalent.
2. Demonstrated experience in Health Promotion planning, implementation and evaluation.
3. Demonstrated experience in developing partnerships with HIV and sexual health services, other government departments, and/or non government organisations.
4. Understanding and sensitivity to the issues affecting priority target groups.
5. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
6. Experience working in the fields of HIV/AIDS, sexual health or hepatitis C.
7. Current driver’s licence.

Contact person:
Douglas Knox
A/Team Leader,HARP Unit, Southern Network
Ph: 9382 8128”

Multiple roles available (Queensland)

“QuIHN is currently recruiting for a range of clinical roles:

1. Parent, Child and Family Outreach Support Service

QuIHN has recently received new funding to expand upon current services supporting families affected by mental illness and/or substance abuse/dependence. Services offered will include:
– Providing support to families that will help to protect the current and future health and well-being of children who may be at risk as a result of residing in families affected by mental illness and/or substance abuse
– Supporting parents to reduce the obstacles to positive parenting that exist as a direct/indirect result of mental illness, including counselling for their own mental illness and/or substance abuse
– Counselling for significant others directly and/or indirectly affected by mental illness and/or substance abuse

This program requires four new clinicians:

Program Manager (Brisbane) (Full-Time/SACS6:$50,000-$52,399+SalSac)
Case Manager (Brisbane) (Full-time/SACS5:$43,350-$45,423+SalSac)
Case Manager (Sunshine Coast) (Full-time/SACS5:$43,350-$45,423+SalSac)
Case Manager (Gold Coast) (Full-time/SACS5:$43,350-$45,423+SalSac)
Application Packs can be downloaded from http://www.quihn.org/job_positions.htm

[These new positions have been made possible by new funding under the federal Dept FACSIA’s Mental Health Community Based Program]

2. InHouse Counselling Service

Case Manager (Brisbane) (Part-time:22.5hrs/SACS4:$24,114-$25,358+SalSac)

This eclectic role will have a dual diagnosis focus (cooccurring mental health- and substance-related disorders) and wil l primarily involve:
– Initial screening and assessments
– Client-directed counselling aimed at working with IDUs contemplating changes to their drug use and related mental health concerns; or making changes either by reducing or abstaining from use, or sustaining change with the aim of entering longer-term care (eg, therapeutic community)
– Educating and supporting significant others
– Some co-facilitation of psychosocial education groups

This position requires a non-judgmental individual, who would enjoy working as part of a small, multidisciplinary team.

New graduates are encouraged to apply for this latter position.

Application Packs can be downloaded from here

To have an application pack mailed or emailed to you please contact 07 36208111 or reception@quihn.org

Applications close 5pm Monday 10 December, 2007 for ALL of the above positions.”

Sexual Health Promotion Officer (Sydney)

“16 hours per week, up to 2 March 2009

Temporary Part-time

Position Summary
The HEO has a key role in developing, implementing and evaluating sexual health promotion programs for young people and Aboriginal people to help address the burden of STIs in these priority populations within South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area health Service.

This position holder works directly and in partnership and collaboration with Sydney Sexual Health Centre staff, HIV/AIDS & Related Programs Unit (HARPU), St George Sexual Health Service, ACON, the SSWAHS Sexual Health Promotion Team, the SESIAHS Aboriginal STI & BBI Steering Committee, La Perouse and Woolloomooloo Aboriginal and youth communities, WAYS Youth Services and the Satellite Sexual Health Youth Clinic staff.

The position holder participates in other health promotion activities relevant to the mission of SSHC and SESIAHS.

Essentials

Demonstrated capacity to develop, implement and evaluate health promotion projects.
Demonstrated understanding of sexual health issues affecting young people and/or Aboriginal people.
Demonstrated capacity to develop and maintain relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including Government and non-Government organisations/departments, general practitioners and consumer groups.
Demonstrated project management skills.
High level oral, written and interpersonal communication skills.
Computer literacy and skills in word processing.
Desirables

Experience in the HIV/AIDS, sexual health or hepatitis C fields.

Contact Name For Position Enquiries: Lynne Martin 02 9382 7460 “

Rudd and Drugs

Now the election is done, coming weeks will see some clarity come to the policy positions adopted by the incoming government. I’d like to make some predictions that are as staid and conservative as I believe the Rudd government will be in the ATOD area:

1. ‘Tough on Drugs’ will remain, perhaps with a rebranding.
2. No further liberalisation of drug laws will occur.
3. There will be no Federal support for other injecting room trials.
4. Drug Free Australia may be treated with a little more scepticism than currently.
5. There’ll be some increased expenditure around alcohol and tobacco prevention initiatives.

WHat are your thoughts? Am I being too cynical? I have a feeling I’m not.

Alex Wodak on the Coalition’s Tough on Drugs Election Policy

I noticed this is today’s Crikey email:

“President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, Dr Alex Wodak, writes:

The Coalition Government’s Election 2007 Policy, “Tough on Drugs”, was released over the weekend. The centre piece of the new policy, a triumph of gesture politics, is a commitment to “quarantine and manage 100 per cent of welfare payments to stop people convicted of criminal drug offences …from using welfare payments to buy illicit drugs”.

If this desperate policy is ever implemented, we can be confident of a growth in crime which will require increased resources for police and prisons and which in turn can only be paid for by increased taxes. Perhaps that was meant by the “Go for Growth” slogan? The amphetamine market has certainly gone for growth during the lifetime of the “Tough on Drugs” policy.

The new drug policy was released just after the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a report which represents even greater political difficulties for the Coalition. Surely the timing of the release of the new drugs policy was intended as a distraction from the new IPCC report.

It is hard to understand how a government which prides itself on understanding markets can reconcile itself with a drug policy which attempts to defy economic gravity.

Sooner or later, the major parties will have to accept the reality that while there is a demand for drugs, there will always be a supply. And if there is no legal supply, other forms of supply will inevitably emerge. Wasn’t that the lesson of alcohol prohibition in the USA? The ability of governments to modify powerful market forces is marginal, as we all now know from the collapse of communism.

The Coalition also criticises the ALP for supporting a trial of a Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, a scientific trial of heroin prescription and the decriminalisation of cannabis. The trial of a Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in NSW was supported by a number of Liberal members of the NSW Parliament including a future Liberal Leader of the Opposition (John Brogden). A scientific trial of heroin prescription was first proposed in Australia by Mr. N. Greiner in 1984 while Leader of the Opposition in NSW (before he went on to become a Liberal Premier).

One of the major advocates for a scientific trial of heroin prescription was Ms Kate Carnell while Chief Minister of the ACT. The Liberal Commonwealth Minister for Health and Minister for Justice both voted for a heroin trial at a major Ministerial meeting in July 1997. Many prominent past and present Liberal politicians support sensible reforms of drug policy. Coalition state and territory governments have liberalised cannabis policies or retained policies liberalised by previous Labor governments.

So far this is one policy that the ALP Opposition has not cried “me too” on, but don’t hold your breath. ”

Crikey is well worth the $100+ dollars to receive a daily email full of commentary in a range of fields. Health topics get regular coverage in an in-depth manner – something the major media outlets would do well to emulate.

Multiple positions at The WA Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies

“Sector Development – Be at the heart of change in WA

There are exciting times ahead! Non-government alcohol and other drug treatment agencies in Western Australia have recently been granted $5.9 million to build their capacity and improve their services to people with both mental health and alcohol and other drug use issues. Join the Western Australian Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (WANADA) in one of these new full time exciting and innovative roles to revolutionise the way in which the sector works. Both positions below are initially offered for 12 months with an expectation to extend following review.

Sector Development Coordinator – $60,000 to $65,000
(plus superannuation and generous salary packaging options)

As Sector Development Co-ordinator you will oversee the project, working directly with treatment agencies and relevant state level stakeholders. You’ll be travelling to visit agencies across WA, establishing strategic relationships and effecting sector wide change. This is your ideal job if you are an excellent communicator, experienced project leader and enjoy driving collaborative working relationships.

Sector Development Project Officer – $50,000 to $55,000
(job share available plus superannuation and generous salary packaging options)

As Sector Development Project Officer you will establish communications networks between mental health and alcohol and other drug agencies in WA and work to meet the resource and training needs of the alcohol and other drug sector in relation to mental health and alcohol and other drug use. Your outstanding interpersonal skills, attention to detail and the satisfaction you gain from seeing results will be well rewarded in this role.

Details including JDF and selection criteria for each position can be obtained by e-mailing drugpeak@wanada.org.au or phoning (08) 9420 7236. JDFs can also be downloaded from the WANADA website. Indigenous people are encouraged to apply.

Applications should be sent or hand-delivered to WANADA, City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi St, West Perth WA 6005 or sent to drugpeak@wanada.org.au.

Closing Date: 12noon Tuesday 4 December 2007.”