Addictions workforce development 2014 results

Addiction-related harm has a significant impact on Pasifika families in New Zealand, with Pasifika people showing low (and often late) access to help and treatment. Effective treatment works when we have a capable and competent workforce, with the right tools and resources that can meet the needs of Pasifika families. 

Le Va contributes to the addiction workforce by: 

• providing information and tools to addiction workers to better engage with Pasifika people 
• delivering a tailored Engaging Pasifika cultural competency programme to addiction services 
• supporting relevant research and evidence-based approaches to treatment 
• providing targeted scholarships and coaching for the Pasifika addiction workforce
• upskilling Pasifika addiction workers through the Le Tautua emerging leaders programme. 

Le Va also supports Drua, our national network of Pasifika addiction workers. The Drua Network shares knowledge, innovation, effective prevention and treatment interventions, strategies to enhance Pasifika access to resources and solutions, and supports culturally competent approaches and solutions. Last month I talked about the 2015 Drua conference in Nelson last month – check out this link for photos from the meeting and Cutting Edge Addictions conference. 

Improving outcomes for Pasifika people through supporting the addiction workforce from July 2014 to June 2015 has included:

• 119 addiction workers in DHBs, NGOs and PHOs successfully completed our Engaging Pasifika cultural competency training (16% of all participants). 
  

  100% of addiction participants strongly or moderately agreed the Engaging Pasifika programme was excellent. 

• Almost one-quarter of the Ministry of Health’s 2014 Pacific Mental Health and Addiction Scholarships were allocated to addiction-related courses of study (11 out of 46 recipients).
   
• One-third of the 2014 Le Tautua emerging leaders programme participants worked in addictions (6 out of 19 participants).
   
• A new resource was developed, Inu Ora, to better inform Pasifika people about the effects of alcohol. Inu Ora is available in plain language English as well as a range of Pasifika languages.
   
• Le Va facilitated the Drua Pasifika Network, which meets quarterly and brings together organisations such as Matua Raki, Te Pou, Drug and Alcohol Practitioners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand, National Committee for Addictions Treatment, Health Promotion Agency, and non-government and district health board addiction services.
   
• In partnership with Matua Raki, and supported by key addiction leaders, Le Va developed Tu Tonu, the foundations of an addiction assessment tool, and is consulting on a cultural assessment tool for people to use as a part of a comprehensive Co-existing Problems (CEP) assessment.