Adult Services

Adults and Specialist Services  Achievements

  • Involved in the reciprocal placement program with mental health services. Over the last twelve months we have had four placements from mental health service and been able to expose them to drug treatment service and been able to build bridges between to two sectors
  • We have hosted a student on placement from the University of Dublin for the first three months of the year and given her exposure to the Australian drug treatment sector - we continue to build this relationship with Ireland.
  • Have been developing a Complex Needs Scale to help manage clients into the residential withdrawal program (from the perspective and mixing clients with complex and more simple psychosocial profiles) ensuring that clients who have greater needs are given greater support both before and after withdrawal. This ensures that gains made whilst in treatment are continued well beyond their physical withdrawal - the ground work for this project has been almost completed and will be rolled out over the year to come as a quality project.
  • A number of our staff have been involved with the CANdo initiative, a commonwealth funded program rolled out via the local GP divisions. In this context they have been involved in training local GPs in both drug and alcohol issues and mental health issues to help them better manage clients with these needs in their local clinics.
  • 2076 clients seen this last year in Adult and youth services
  • Of these 1730 or 83% achieved significant treatment goals during their treatment episode at DASWest, which are goals they negotiate together with their therapist as part of their treatment planning

 A range of adult services (18 yrs and above) are offered to the community on models that incorporate current best practice in
the area of substance use and are designed as a collaborative community response.

These services include:

  • Assessment and referral
  • Residential withdrawal;
  • Hospital based withdrawal
  • Home based withdrawal
  • Specialist pharmacotherapy
  • Forensic counselling services
  • Clinical outreach and support
  • Dually diagnoses homeless service

DASWest also offers training and education function for the
health, public and corporate sectors and offers these services
based on the principles of harm minimisation, while working
together with the client toward long-term recovery and
stabilisation.

 Contact Details

3-7 Eleanor street
Footscray 3011
Tel:   8345 6682 
Fax:   83456027
Monday to Friday:  9am - 5pm