The Association of Participating Service Users (APSU) is a Victorian consumer representative body at the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC).
APSU believes that people who use drug and alcohol services have a wealth of knowledge and experience.
APSU has been set-up to ensure that people who use alcohol and other drug services opinions, ideas and experiences contribute to policy, research, service provision and professional development. APSU draws guidance and direction from an advisory committee made up mostly of consumers.
APSU’s membership is free and both consumers and service providers are encouraged to join. APSU has conducted research, developed and disseminated written information materials and newsletters, conducted awareness raising.
- To work collaboratively with key stakeholders to increase community (consumer), participation in drug treatment and care provider systems.
- To increase service user impact on relevant policy development and implementation at the local, state and national level.
- To promote, encourage and assist service users in the development of service user run programs and activities at the local level.
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Resources
We have a great collection of resources to assist you.
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Consumer Participation
Consumer Participation
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APSU Become A Member
We invite you to join us in having a say.
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Speaker Bureau
Join Speaker Bureau
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Request Speaker
Speaker Request Form
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"Your Feedback Matters"
Your Feedback Matters
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Podcasts
Podcasts
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Contact Us
Have a question? Please don't hesitate to contact us.
CARE Ideas Exchange
The CARE Ideas Exchange is a key outcome of the Consumer Participation Training project, which took place at the ibis Melbourne Hotel & Apartments on Thursday 4th May 2017. Over 90 people, from across Victoria and interstate, attended this full day event focusing on the role and future of consumer participation in the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) sector.
Following are the PowerPoint presentations from the day:
Overview of Project
MC, Heather Pickard, Chief Executive Officer, SHARC
Power and Passion: Why Your Experience Matters and How to Drive Change in the AOD Service Sector
Keynote by Jacqui Gibson-Roos, consumer & Darlene Cox, Executive Director of Health Care Consumers Association Inc.
Presented by Jacqui Gibson-Roos
‘The Big Toolbox’ Guide to Starting a Consumer Group Russell Chilcott & Richard Gornall, the former Southern Region Consumer Advisory Council (SRCAC)
Russell Chilcott & Richard Gornall, the former Southern Region Consumer Advisory Council (SRCAC)
High Quality Care in the 21st Century
Professor Jane Burns, Professor of Innovation and Industry at the University of Sydney
‘Let Love In’ Fostering Family Participation Workshop
Edita Kennedy, APSU Project Worker & Marg Quon, family member
Creating an Effective Inter-professional Network of Leaders in Mental Health
Jo Stubbs, Project Manager at Victorian Mental Health Interprofessional Leadership Network
Advocating for Change from Within
Wayne Wright, Manager of Southern Dual Diagnosis Service
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Consumer Participation Training Resources
Training Resources for Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Services in Victoria
A project funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health, Substance Misuse Service Delivery Grant Fund
APSU has delivered numerous Consumer Participation Training in each of the AOD cathcments in Victoria.
The practical training courses aimed to teach AOD workers how to improve the participation of consumers in the sector and more specifically in their own organisations. Participants had ample opportunity to discuss and develop an action plan for participation and were then supported to bring this training back to their own organisations.
These Consumer Participation training resources are here to assist you and your organisation in successfully implementing and embedding consumer participation into your organisation’s culture, processes and procedures. APSU staff are more than happy to assist you with any questions about the training materials or even if your considering a training session for your organisation. We can be contacted on apsu@sharc.org.au
Consumer Participation Training Course Outline
Consumer Participation Training Course Instructor Kit
Consumer Participation Course Workbook
Consumer Participation Management Course
Consumer Participation Action Plan Template
Consumer Participation Board presentation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
"Better Practice" Resources
APSU Sample Consumer Participation Plan
Remuneration-Position-Paper- APSU Oct 2017
SHARC-Consumer Participation-Policy
Community Advisory Committees (CAC) – Six Steps
CAC example questions for Interview
Want to share your organisations Better Practice in consumer participation? Just complete the form below and attach your document as a pdf.
Resources
APSU Forum on Prescription Monitoring and Codeine Legislation Changes
APSU Summary of Safe Scripts Forum 2017
Safe Script Forum – Supports for Consumers
So you want to start a consumer group? – The story of SRCAC
This publication has been developed by the members of The Southern Region Community Advisory Council (SRCAC).
A practical guide to family participation in the Victorian alcohol and other drug sector.
A practical guide to consumer participation in the Victorian alcohol and other drug sector.
A step-by-step practical guide to the three APSU training modules:
- Peer Helper Training
- Experts by Experience
- Speaker Bureau
Experiences of AOD consumers with a criminal record accessing employment and education.
Position paper on remuneration and reimbursement of consumers of alcohol and other drug services.
A wealth of consumer participation resources including training materials, handouts, exercises and the instructor toolkit.
Click here to view and join our mailing list for the ‘Consumer Participation in Action‘ e-Newsletter
Consumer Participation
Consumer participation is broadly defined as the process of involving health consumers in decision making about health service planning, policy development, priority setting and quality in the delivery of health services. A consumer is someone who uses, has used, or is eligible to use alcohol and other drug services.
Consumer participation in the alcohol and other drug sector consists of including consumers (as defined above) in the decision making processes around:
- their own treatment
- service planning, development, delivery and evaluation
- AOD policy
- AOD research
- education and training of AoD professionals.
We invite you to scroll down and explore the consumer participation resources, activities and better practice examples. (selecting the heading or picture will open a new tab)
Want to become part of the Consumer Participation Network?
The Consumer Participation Network is a virtual network of self-identified “champions” from across Victoria and is an outcome of the Care Ideas Exchange , which was funded by the previous substance misuse grant. APSU’ s website will be an opportunity for the sector to share and provide a central point to gather and keep “Better Practice” resources in consumer participation. Members of the Network will receive the quarterly “Consumer Participation in Action” e news highlighting consumer activities submitted by other network members from across Victoria.
Join Below
Want to share on our website your organisations”Better Practice” in consumer participation resources?
Simply fill in the fields and upload/send your pdf documents and we will upload them to our “Better Practice” page.
Straight from the Source, developed by APSU, is a practical guide to consumer participation in the Victorian alcohol and other drug sector.
Broadening the Source, developed by APSU is a practical guide to family participation in the Victorian alcohol and other drug sector.
Training Resources
These Consumer Participation training resources are here to assist you and your organisation in successfully implementing and embedding consumer participation into your organisation’s “culture, processes and procedures.
This page provides examples of Better Practice in consumer participation. From this page you can upload/send us any examples your organisation would like to share.
CARE Ideas Exchange– May 2017
The CARE Ideas Exchange is a key outcome of the Consumer Participation Training project, which took place at the ibis Melbourne Hotel & Apartments on Thursday 4th May 2017. Over 90 people, from across Victoria and interstate, attended this full day event focusing on the role and future of consumer participation in the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) sector.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
News
SHARC leads a new era in Peer Workforce Development
Posted: 10 October 2018The Department of Health and Human Services has recently released an updated version of the Alcohol and other drug (AOD) program guidelines and a new AOD performance management framework. These updates are in response to new services, changes to existing service arrangements and changes to policy and legislation for Victorian Government-funded AOD programs and services. These updates recognise SHARC as a leader in Peer Workforce Development, ‘providing training for peer workers and organisational readiness for…
Read moreYou're invited to SHARC's 2018 AGM!
Posted: 4 October 2018Click here for the details of our 2018 Annual General Meeting.
Read moreProud Peer Worker, an expert by experience at 80.
Posted: 24 September 2018SHARC have supported the Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD) to increase the number of peer workers delivering support services to clients in the western region of Victoria. One of WRADs peer workers, June Williams, appeared in Warrnambool’s The Standard on September 14. ‘Twenty years after she retired, Ms Williams has returned to work part-time as WRAD’s family reunification peer support worker….’ Ms Williams told The Standard that her lived experience has enabled her…
Read moreSHARC in the Victorian Alcohol and Other Drugs Awareness Campaign - 'A World of Difference'.
Posted: 13 September 2018In conjunction with the release of Victoria’s alcohol and other drugs workforce strategy 2018–2022 recently, the Government also launched the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Awareness Campaign to support workforce growth. Appropriately themed ‘A World of Difference’ – the videos highlight the powerful impact that working in the sector can have and the diversity of roles within it. In the campaign, Co-ordinator of Peer Projects at SHARC, Crystal Clancy, speaks about her unique role and her…
Read moreFlipside
2018 Winter – Love is love
2018 summer – Harm reduction
2017 winter – Relationships
2017 autumn – Stigma
2016 spring – Opportunities
2016 autumn/winter – The anniversary edition
2015 winter – This one goes out to the ones we loved
2015 autumn – Privacy, confidentiality, anonymity
2014 spring – Ice
2014 winter – Education
2014 autumn – It’s the little things…
2013 spring – Change
2013 winter – Out of the red & into the black
2013 summer – Consumer participation
2012 spring – Prescription drugs
2012 autumn/winter – Recovery and peer support
2011 spring/summer – Criminal records
2011 winter – Home sweet home
2011 autumn – Smoking
2010 winter – Love
2010 autumn – Gambling and other addictions
2009 summer – Hep C and other stuff
2009 winter – Parenthood
2009 summer – Peers
2008 spring – The black and white of waiting times
2008 autumn – Before it comes to this – teeth and other health issues
2008 summer – Songlines and footprints
2007 spring – Pissed
2007 autumn/winter – Drugs for drugs
2007 summer – Boulevard of broken dreams
2006 spring – Dual diagnosis: under pressure
2006 winter – Centrelink: welfare law turns nasty
Speaker Bureau
APSU is inviting expressions of interest from people with a lived experience of alcohol and/or other drug (AOD) misuse and family members affected by a loved one’s AOD misuse to become members of our Speaker Bureau.
APSU’s Speaker Bureau members are people who are willing to speak publically at forums, meetings, presentations, conferences and other community or corporate events. Speaker Bureau members nominate themselves for this role and they choose what topics they are prepared to speak about.
Speaker Bureau members are remunerated as participants (as well as trained and supported by APSU) and are empowered in their endeavor to help raise awareness, overcome stigma and shame, and educate people about addiction, recovery and hope.
The vast majority of evaluations over the years demonstrate that Speakers Bureau members have an immediate, positive, and often transformative effect, on their audience members.
If you would like to become a Speaker Bureau Member simply join APSU. Membership is free. Join Here
Request Speaker
"Your Feedback Matters"
This quick survey is a way to better understand your experience in accessing the Victorian Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Treatment system. By gathering your experiences APSU can work with the AOD treatment sector to make continuous improvements to the system in the future. Alternatively if you would like complete the survey and provide feedback in person with someone at APSU phone:
1300 442 552
Monday – Friday 9 am -5 pm.
(Leave a message for a callback if unattended, engaged or outside business hours).
THIS SURVEY IS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS AND PEOPLE WHO USE/HAVE USED VICTORIAN AOD SERVICES.
THIS SURVEY IS NOT DESIGNED FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS.
Start Survey – Click Here (opens new window)
Podcasts
‘Straight from the Source’ looks at a range of different issues relevant to those impacted by drug and alcohol use from varying perspectives and talks real, honest stories, straight from the source.
The podcast broadcasts stories which challenge binary ideas around addiction and substance use, and opens conversation around substance use and its connection with other issues and general realities of life.
We hope to increase community awareness, challenge stigma, stereotypes and open up the space for multiple perspectives around substance use, self-growth and recovery.
These stories assist individuals and communities to be represented, heard and to feel less alone. They also incite discussion around Australian Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) systems and the challenges within them.
We will have more guests and more stories coming to you monthly.
Straight from The Source is the voice of the Association of Participating Service Users (APSU), a service of the Self-Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC). APSU is a Victorian consumer representative body, which believes that the needs, strengths and expertise of people who use drugs and alcohol should drive the system and their voices should be heard.
Podcast episodes and further information on APSU is accessible through APSU online, APSU Facebook and will soon be available through ITunes and other Podcast apps.
Just a reminder that the views expressed by our guests are not necessarily reflective of those of APSU and SHARC.
If listening brings up any issues for you, and you would like to speak to someone, you can call Directline 24/7 for drug and alcohol help on: 1800 888 236
Podcast Music is from Jimmy Loops and can be found through Facebook at Big Jimmy Loops or YouTube at Mr Jimmy Loops
Contact Us
Association of Participating Service Users
(Please note this form is for general enquiries/feedback only. If you are applying for a student placement or a volunteer please use the relevant forms in the ”About Us’ section on the SHARC home page.)
Address: 140 Grange Road, Carnegie, 3163
Phone: 9573 1700
Email: apsu@sharc.org.au
Latest News
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SHARC leads a new era in Peer Workforce Development
The Department of Health and Human Services has recently released an updated version of the...
Read More -
You're invited to SHARC's 2018 AGM!
Click here for the details of our 2018 Annual General Meeting.
Read More
