The Newsletter of the AUSTRALASIAN THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATION

1
The Newsletter of the AUSTRALASIAN THERAPEUTIC
COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATION
Issue 4 January 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
2
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear ATCA Members, In November of this year I
had the pleasure of attending the annual ATCA
conference Across the Horizon, in Auckland New
Zealand. I would like to thank the Department of
Health and Ageing and the Alcohol Education and
Rehabilitation Foundation (AER) for their
generous support in funding this conference. On
behalf of the Board of ATCA and its members I
would also like to thank Stuart Anderson from
Higher Ground and Chris Kalin from Odyssey House
in New Zealand for agreeing to jointly host this
conference. In particular I would like to thank
the organizing committee consisting of Janet
Colby, Chris Kalin, Marino Sherwin, and Pat
Williams for your extraordinary efforts in making
this conference happen. Organising a conference
requires a great deal of energy and effort from a
number of people to ensure that it is successful.
This conference was no exception. Many people
gave up their time to share their expertise in
their presentations over the two and half days of
the conference. The flavour of the
presentations was very much a TC focus, with an
emphasis on practical application of techniques
and program implementation. In addition, a strong
family focus was also evident with presentations
on a model of a Multiple Family Group Program in
a TC Setting from Higher Ground and a
presentation on the Family and Childrens Program
from Odyssey House. For myself, the wonderful
mix of cultural presentations including a
spectacular display from the Pacific Island
Entertainment Group, and a Powhiri (official
welcome) at the local Marae were the real
highlights from a wonderfully warm and friendly
conference. It was also fantastic to see such a
large contingent of delegates from Australia and
New Zealand come together to share our experience
in addressing the treatment needs of our clients
within the Therapeutic Community Milieu. Once
again thank you to all those people who pulled
together to make our annual conference a success.
Next years conference will be held in Melbourne
and will be hosted by Odyssey House Melbourne,
Windana and YSAS. The date of the conference is
yet to be set, but is likely to be in November of
2007. The theme of the conference will be The
Past, The Present and The Future. Hopefully
you will all put the effort in the put forward
some interesting presentations for this
conference. I wish you all a very Merry
Christmas and a Prosperous New Year . Carol
Daws President ATCA
L-R Chris Kalin Odyssey House Auckland, Stuart
Anderson Higher Ground Trust Auckland, Carol Daws
President ATCA, Janice Jones Executive Officer
ATCA
3
INTRODUCING THE ART THERAPY PROGRAM AT BANYAN
HOUSE By Jackie Lewis MA ATR
I have recently developed a six session Art
Therapy program, which I have been running at
Banyan House over the second half of this year.
The art process seems to flow very naturally with
our clients, despite many of them not having
touched art materials for many years- maybe not
since school days. Some participants have a
natural artistic talent that they decide to
pursue, but that is not a requirement of joining
the group. The art table is well set out with
an attractive array of good quality materials
and cartridge paper - we use large size water
colour palettes, an assortment of brushes, oil
and chalk pastels, pencils, magazine pictures,
and an interesting collection of small metallic
shapes, (stars, sea and land animals, glitters,
little googly eyes, feathers etc) There is also
clay for one or more sessions. The program
starts off gently, and as participants become
more confident with the process, the themes
become a little more challenging, but always
strengths-focused. The two and a half hour
session involves a creating period, a break
time, and then a generous amount of time for the
group to enjoy the fruits of their labour. We
pin all the work up, and everyone gets to talk
about their creations, and insights they have
gained. I encourage their fellow artists to also
observe the work, and to respond and reflect on
what they see. Are universal symbols emerging- or
certain colour themes- often images resonate
amongst the group. The themes move through
certain topic areas, but are a guide only-
sometimes participants start to draw before I
have time to introduce the theme! One week may
be what do you hope to gain from being in
Banyan House? or your life journey or an
achievement Im proud of. The final piece on
week six, is a group effort on a really large
piece of paper the theme being create a
boundary- think about separating the healthy,
happy you from whatever is creating difficulties
and pain in your life. Dump it all in the middle
of the page in whatever way you choose. The
final image shown here speaks for itself!
The Group Masterpiece
4
PRACTICE AND RESEARCHA study into the WHOS MTAR
program and the effects on its clients
By Carla Janssen, Research Officer at We Help
Ourselves
The WHOS MTAR program We Help Ourselves (WHOS)
runs 6 therapeutic communities in NSW and
Queensland. In 1999 WHOS established the
Methadone to Abstinence Residential (MTAR)
program. WHOS MTAR operates a modified
therapeutic community model for clients on opioid
replacement pharmacotherapy who want to gradually
withdraw from Methadone or Buprenorphine and
pursue a drug free life style. Clients need
permission from their prescribing doctor to enter
into the WHOS MTAR program. The length of the
detoxification process is often 2 to 3 months,
depending on the dosage at admission and the
severity and duration of their dependence. The
program has 23 beds over several residences. The
program is staffed 24/7. Duration of the general
program is 4 months with the extended program of
2 months, totalling 6 months of treatment. The
research project part 1 WHOS conducted a study
to find out more about the backgrounds of those
who seek treatment at WHOS MTAR and to examine
how many clients complete the program. Another
aspect of the study was to examine the effect of
program on drug use, health, well being and
social functioning. All 68 clients that entered
treatment between July 2003 and December 2004
were selected for the research project. The
results client profiles The demographic profile
of WHOS MTAR clients was very similar to that of
other residential programs. The majority, 63,
were male and ages ranged from 20 to 53, with 33
being the mean age. Many clients were self
referred (62) and others were referred via AOD
agencies (20), court (12), etc. Almost a third
of clients had been (off and) on methadone for
more than a decade, but there was also a group of
clients (16) that had been on methadone for
about a year. The average methadone dose on
admission was 72 mgs. For many clients being on
opioid replacement pharmacotherapy had not led to
abstinence of illicit drugs two thirds of
clients used illicit drugs in the month before
they were admitted to WHOS MTAR.The majority had
at least one infectious disease and about a
quarter (26) was taking psychiatric medication
on admission. The results treatment
profiles Fifty-four percent (54) of all clients
that started treatment at WHOS MTAR completed the
methadadone/buprenorphine detoxification process.
Most of those who achieved this milestone
continued their treatment in the program with 22
completing the extended (aftercare)
program. Figure 1 Achievement of treatment
milestones
5
The research project part 2 All 68 clients
selected for the study were approached in June,
July and August 2005 to participate in follow up
research. Forty-eight clients (71) were
successfully contacted and interviewed. The
interviews took place approximately 1 year after
leaving the program (on average). The results
health outcomes Forty-four (44) percent of those
successfully interviewed at follow up had been
abstinent from alcohol and all other drugs of
dependence in the month before follow up
interview and were not enrolled in an MMT/BMT
program. One person was on a MMT program but
abstinent from all other drugs. Most of those who
were using alcohol and/or other drugs in the
month before follow up were also (re-)enrolled in
an MMT program. See table 1. Twenty-five percent
of clients were not only abstinent in the month
before the follow up interview but had maintained
abstinence since leaving the WHOS MTAR
program. Table 1 Health Outcomes - Abstinence
Those who were abstinent from all drugs including
prescribed methadone had lower psychological
distress levels and had improved social
functioning. Those who were not abstinent had no
significant changes in health, social functioning
and wellbeing. Almost all clients that had
relapsed mentioned difficulty in handling
negative feelings such as depression, anxiety
and/or anger that possibly contributed to their
relapse. Further analyses found two pathways to
abstinence for the clients in the follow up
study. The first pathway was successful treatment
at WHOS MTAR - clients who successfully completed
the extended WHOS MTAR program were far more
likely to maintain the drug free lifestyle after
leaving the program. The second pathway was
additional rehabilitation treatment. Clients who
relapsed and were admitted to another
rehabilitation program were more likely to be
abstinent at the time of follow up.
Additionally attending self help support groups
was associated with achieving and maintaining
abstinence. WHOS introduces clients to self help
support groups from the onset of admission.
Clients who completed the WHOS MTAR program and
clients who received treatment at other
residential programs were more likely to be drug
free if they attended self help support groups on
at least a weekly basis. Conclusion A drug free
life style was an attainable goal for clients who
sought treatment at WHOS MTAR, with 44 of
clients in this study being drug free at follow
up. Those who were drug free at follow up had
also improved on other health outcome measures.
The study showed the importance of treatment to
obtain and maintain a drug free life. It also
showed the important role that self help support
groups can play in aftercare. We Help Ourselves,
PO Box 1237, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012, Phone
02 9319 1211 Email info_at_whos.com.au
6
ACROSS THE HORIZONATCA CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 2006

• The response to ATCAs 2006 conference Across
  the Horizon has been positively overwhelming.
  The Conference attracted 128 delegates from over
  40 different organizations across Australasia.
  The forum facilitated learning, discussion and
  the opportunity to share experiences and skills,
  both formally and informally over the 3 days of
  the event.
• The Conference offered something for everyone
  and covered everything from quality improvement
  to psychiatry to youth services to sustainable
  recovery. It also included many speakers who have
  a national and international profile in these key
  areas, such as Professor Doug Sellman, Director
  of National Addictions Centre New Zealand, Barry
  Bublitz First Nations Delegate, Marion Blake CEO
  Platform, NGO Peak Body Group New Zealand and
  many others.
• The cultural aspect of the conference had an
  impact on everyone. The Powhiri offered to the
  Board of Directors and the Organising committee
  on the eve of the conference at the Marae on
  Mission Point held a special significance. The
  conference opening and warm Maori welcome to the
  delegates was an auspicious start and then there
  was the Kapa Haka at the Conference dinner. An
  amazing presentation performed by residents of
  Odyssey House and Higher Ground. I dont think
  there was a dry eye in the audience.
  Congratulations to all concerned.
• The after dinner entertainment was a real hit and
  as you can see from the photos below, some of our
  members had a great time.
• Thank you to Stuart Anderson, Chris Kalin and the
  organizing team for such a memorable experience.

L-R Major Jenny Allen, Salvation Army Cate Hewitt
from Kamira Farm and Karen Bartlett from Fresh
Hope.
7
ODYSSEY HOUSE MERIT LAUNCH
Odyssey House McGrath Foundation held the launch
of the Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment
(MERIT) programme at Waverley Local Court on
November 24. The event has significance for all
non-government agencies as it is the first time
an NGO has been awarded a contract to conduct
assessments and referrals in a large metropolitan
court under the MERIT scheme. The ceremony was
attended by over 50 interested parties from the
AOD field . In attendance as well were Paul
Pearce, MP ALP, Member for Maroubra who
represented the Minister for Health, Mr.
Hatzistergos, and the leader of the Opposition,
Peter Debnam, MP Liberal, Member for Vaucluse. In
his remarks upon officially launching the program
Mr. Pearce acknowledged the longstanding history
of Odyssey House as a provider of quality
services to the drug misusing population. Mr.
Pearce pointed out the important role Odyssey
House and other NGO's played in expanding the
capacity of the MERIT program to assist those
individuals who were eligible to be offered the
opportunity to access treatment interventions for
their alcohol and other drugs problems. It is
estimated over 150 individuals per year will be
assessed for the MERIT program by the Odyssey
House case managers.
James Pitt from Odyssey house will deal with Drug
treatments referrals from Waverley Court.
8
KOORI YOUTH ALCOHOL AND DRUG HEALING SERVICE

• Ngwala Willumbong Co-operative Ltd, the largest
  Koori drug and alcohol service provider in the
  state, and the Youth Substance Abuse Service
  (YSAS), a specialist provider of youth alcohol
  and drug treatment services in Victoria, are
  working in partnership to implement a statewide
  Koori Youth Alcohol and Drug Healing Service.
  This partnership builds on already established
  relationships and a commitment to providing a
  culturally appropriate, professional and
  effective service to Koori young people.
• A management team comprising representatives from
  Ngwala and YSAS has been established to oversee
  the project team of senior Ngwala and YSAS staff.
  A Cultural Program Advisory Committee comprising
  representatives from VACCHO, VACSAL, Department
  of Justice, a respected community member, Ngwala
  and YSAS will advise the project team.
• This is the first service of its kind in
  Australia which will enable Koori young people to
  experience real opportunities to
• deal with their alcohol and drug issues
• strengthen their identity
• provide guidance in reaching their potential and
  future goals
• Identify and develop their skills and talents
• acknowledge and recognise the value they offer
  their communities.
• The Koori Youth Alcohol and Drug Healing Service
  will be a 12 bed residential rehabilitation
  service for Koori people 15 20 years of age
  with alcohol and other drug-related problems. An
  interim 6 bed facility is scheduled to open in
  August 2006, with the permanent facility to
  follow 12 to 18 months later. At this stage, the
  interim or permanent sites have not been decided.
  
• Underpinning this culturally relevant service are
  the principles of a therapeutic community.These
  principles include
• a holding environment
• the extensive use of group work,
• opportunistic (opportunity led work)
  intervention
• a strong focus on both residents and staff as
  members of a community.
• The primary goal is to provide a safe and secure
  environment in which young people can participate
  in a program that provides culturally relevant
  opportunities and assists them to be empowered
  with tools for lasting change which includes
  holistic approaches towards providing a safe,
  responsive, empathic and encouraging environment
  for both residents and staff.
• The guiding principles of the Koori Youth Alcohol
  and Drug Healing Service will be Ngwalas and
  YSAS practice frameworks, which are based on the
  social model of health, and include holistic
  frameworks, a proactive and relationship based
  model of engagement, and a health promoting and
  learning/evolving approach.
• The program will include and integrate aspects of
  Koori culture with a focus on individual and peer
  learning, and vary according to the background
  and cultural awareness of the individuals and the
  group.
• The Koori Youth and Alcohol and Drug Healing
  Service will be inclusive of all Aboriginal and
  Torres Strait Islander young people throughout
  Victoria.

9
Vision Statements Ngwalas vision is to Develop
and deliver alcohol and drug services to meet the
diverse needs of Aboriginal people. We will
achieve this vision with integrity and a total
commitment to cultural principles. YSASs vision
is YSAS will improve the health and well-being
of young people affected by the use of alcohol
and other drugs through direct care, workforce
development, and public policy advocacy. Ngwala
Willumbong Ngwala has been a key Aboriginal
service provider offering specialist alcohol and
drug rehabilitation and outreach support services
to Koori communities in Victoria since
1975. Ngwala aims to create a positive
environment for change with people whose lives
have been affected by drugs and alcohol through a
holistic approach which recognises the spiritual,
emotional and physical needs of our
people. Ngwala is committed to ongoing
organisational strengthening through professional
development of its workforce and expansion of its
partnership arrangements with other indigenous
and mainstream service providers. YSAS YSAS
commenced operations in February 1998, and
provides services for young people aged 12 to 21
years experiencing problems related to the use of
drugs and/or alcohol. YSAS is a specialist
provider of youth drug treatment services
providing a range of programs from various sites
across metropolitan Melbourne and regional
Victoria. YSAS also provides training and
education about young peoples substance use
toworkers throughout the State, nationally and
overseas. The YSAS approach to working with young
people experiencing alcohol and/or other drug
related problems is focused upon the needs of the
individual and stresses access, flexibility and
responsiveness. The Partnership The
implementation of the Koori Youth AD Healing
Service by the Ngwala/YSAS partnership builds on
existing and previous collaboration by the two
agencies, including training, workforce
development, cultural awareness and co-casework
with Koori young people. A close relationship
between Ngwala and YSAS has existed for several
years, with discussions and dreams about the
Koori Youth AD Healing Service taking place over
the last 2 - 3 years. Both agencies are committed
to helping each other develop the best possible
service for the community. The Cultural and
Program Advisory Group (CPAG) The establishment
of this service is to be done with close
consultation with both the Koori community and
mainstream AOD services. To assist in ensuring
that the new Koori Youth AD Healing Service is
both appropriate and effective in its objectives,
a Cultural and Program Advisory Group (CPAG) has
been formed
10
KOORI YOUTH ALCOHOL AND DRUG HEALING SERVICE
The members of the CPAG are Jill Gallagher
VACCHO Andrew Jackamos Department of Justice
Indigenous Issues Unit Alf Bamblett
VACSAL Marion Green Ngwala Glenn Howard
Ngwala David Murray - YSAS Charlie Stewart -
YSAS The Project Team The interim Project
Team for the Koori Youth AD Healing Service has
been formed, drawing on members from Ngwala and
YSAS. They are Marion Green is a Gamilaroi woman
from Moree in Northern NSW who has worked for the
Koori community over the past 32 years in the
areas of health, substance abuse and advocacy.
Marion is a founding member of Ngwala Willumbong
Co-operative and for the past 3 years has been
employed as the Rehabilitation Services
Co-ordinator for the three centres that Ngwala
operates - Galiamble (men), Winja Ulupna (women)
and the Percy Green Memorial Centre (men).
Debbie Callister is a Wiradjuri woman from Hay
in New South Wales, and in 2001 she was employed
by Ngwala Willumbong. The positions she has held
include supervisor at Winja Ulupna (the Womens
Residential Rehabilitation Centre), Koori Access
Worker into Moreland Hall Services, Western Koori
Outreach Worker and Senior Diversion Worker.
Debbie is now on the Koori Project Team. She has
qualifications in Community Services (AOD) and a
Diploma in Community and Welfare studies Kylie
Quirk is on secondment to the Project Team from
YSAS. She has a background in sociology and
psychology, and has worked in the youth AOD field
for nearly 12 years. Her previous experience is
in youth outreach work with Ngwala and as a case
management and assessment coordinator with
Windana Youth. She is currently the manager of
the YSAS eastern residential withdrawal
unit. Marita Delany is on secondment from the
YSAS Box Hill community site where she has been
Manager for the past two years, after previously
being the senior outreach worker. Prior to her
employment with YSAS Marita had extensive
experience in the welfare sector including
juvenile justice, residential rehabilitation,
housing, aged care and disability services. Her
qualifications are in social sciences. Stephen
Wilson has been a trainer with the YSAS Education
and Research Unit since 2001. He brings to the
project team 21 years experience in direct
service work, management and policy development
in both the community and government sectors.
Stephen has developed training packages on
aggression, self-harm and male sexual assault, as
well as alcohol and drug training for Koori and
culturally diverse communities including the
Ngwala and Swinburne University statewide
Certificate IV Alcohol and Drugs training
program for Koori drug and alcohol workers.
11

• The Project Team Managers
• Glenn Howard has been a Program Coordinator at
  Ngwala since January 1996 and has operational
  management responsibility for a broad mix of
  metropolitan DHS funded services including the
  Koori Community AOD Worker programs, SAAP, HAAC,
  IHSHY, the Aboriginal Diversion Unit the Koori
  Community AOD Resource Service. Prior to joining
  Ngwala Glenn worked with DHS in Child Protection,
  Juvenile Justice Out of Home Care. He has many
  years of experience working in and with
  residential services for children and young
  people.
• Charlie Stewart is Director South East, with
  responsibility for the youth residential
  therapeutic community, Birribi, as well as four
  community based sites and the Eastern residential
  withdrawal unit. He has qualifications in
  business and law as well as many years experience
  managing services across the spectrum of AOD from
  community based to residential, adult and youth
  specific services. Charlie is the YSAS director
  responsible for the implementation of the
  Ngwala/YSAS Koori Youth AD Healing Service.
• A Healing Space........
• We are looking for a new property to locate the
  interim phase of the service, preferably in the
  outer North or East area of Melbourne.
• The kind of property that we would like to locate
  would include the following specifications
• 4-6 bedrooms
• minimum of 2 bathrooms, but preferably 3
• single storey (preferably)
• semi-rural
• large kitchen
• preferably a pool
• room/office
• established garden
• recreation room (or area with potential for
  this, e.g. a garage)
• access to public transport, hospital or medical
  facilities, a recreational centre, and local
  shops.
• Any suggestions that you have in relation to a
  suitable site for the interim service or the
  establishment of this new service can be
  forwarded to the Koori Youth Alcohol and Drug
  Healing Service Project Team

12
THE ODYSSEY OLYMPICS By Eric Allan
The Establishment of Odyssey house in
Australasia . NSW, Victoria, Auckland and
Christchurch created a group of programs that
shared the same treatment philosophy and applied
similar standards of clinical rigor to their
work. Given drug treatment was in its infancy at
this the time the conventional wisdom was that in
order for all the programs to grow and thrive
then good regular communication was
essential. Various practices were adopted such
as Clinical Supervision (Senior Staff from the US
and Australasian Programs would travel to other
programs and review cases.) Administrative
supervision was provided by Milton Lugar to all
four programs. The Olympics was a creative way of
bringing the residents and staff of the programs
together. I believe at the outset it was hoped
that all four programs would be able to
participate however the cost of air travel to and
from New Zealand prohibited the event from
becoming an Australasian affair. The Sydney and
Melbourne houses began the Odyssey Olympics in
1980 and held it each year until 1996, each house
would travel on alternate years to the sister
program. The Odyssey Olympics was always a major
event that both Houses would await with
excitement. Each year the staff would get an
opportunity to get together and compare practice
argue approach and walk away stimulated with the
batteries re energized and ready for action. The
residents would meet a group of people outside of
this community make new friends and enjoy
themselves in a way they may not have experienced
since childhood indeed ever at all. For many it
was the first interstate trip of their
lives! The paradox of camaraderie and rivalry
exists for the full week making it a physically
and emotionally exhausting affair for everyone.
This type of exhaustion comes from exhilaration
and pushing ones self to be involved, finding
stores of energy that you probably didnt think
you had.
Both houses at the Opening Ceremony
13

• Unfortunately the Olympics were dropped from the
  annual calendars of both programs in 1997 when
  finances prohibited even the cost of a bus trip
  to NSW. This was a very sad situation for both
  programs.
• Thanks to the generosity of the Macquarie
  Foundation the Odyssey Olympics was re born in
  2006 ten years after the last Olympics. The 2006
  Odyssey Olympics was equally as exciting for
  those that participated and has left them with
  memories that will last a lifetime From the
  moment we left the house at 7.00am on Sunday
  morning the excitement was palpable. We arrived
  at Odyssey House in Sydney to a warm welcome and
  bowl of spaghetti bolognaise. After some nervous
  moments at the beginning most people broke the
  ice and began mixing with each other.
• The opening ceremony was presided over By David
  Crosbie CEO and Eric Allan Executive Manager
  Odyssey House Victoria and Susan Cordero
  Therapeutic Community Manager of Odyssey House
  NSW.
• The first event was the swimming carnival which
  took no time for everyone to get involved.
  Participation levels were high and many a larynx
  was being well exercised during the races
  cheering on their peersand friends.
• It was back to the Sydney House for Lunch and
  then off to the Tennis at the local tennis club.
  Melbourne certainly came through here with
  resounding victories in almost all rubbers and a
  wonderful afternoon shared by all. The points
  score now had Melbourne slightly in front.
• Once again it was back to the Sydney House for
  dinner and after a very lively wash up the board
  and parlor games began. These include Cards
  500, Back gammon, chess, darts, and pool,
  amongst others.
• Athletics, Indoor cricket, Volley ball, Ten Pin
  Bowling, a Mini Marathon, and Table Tennis were
  just some of the other events that took up the
  rest of the week. The Sydney House were too
  strong for the Melbourne House this year and took
  out the games on the scoreboard by the middle of
  the third day.
• We concluded the Odyssey Olympics with a closing
  ceremony and the passing of the Cup to the Sydney
  Director who I am sure will have it in pride of
  place now that they have earned the bragging
  rights until next time we meet.
• If enthusiasm can put a bus on the road I have no
  doubt that we will see our friends from Sydney
  very soon.
• It would be wonderful if one day this concept
  could be further developed to include programs
  from all over Australasia.

14
PRESIDENTS ANNUAL REPORT2006
Dear ATCA Members, As I look back over the past
year I feel there have been many achievements
that should be acknowledged for the ATCA.
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to
thank the Commonwealth Government of Australia
for their insight and support in agreeing to
provide some funding for a secretariat for the
ATCA for the next three years. In addition I wish
to acknowledge the generosity of the Salvation
Army who provided the ATCA with an office for our
Executive Officer to work from. As you would be
aware, Janice Jones was appointed as the
Executive Officer of the ATCA earlier this year
and has commenced the year by getting to know the
membership. Many of you would have received a
visit from Janice, and for those who havent, I
am confident that Janice will visit in the near
future. This will be an opportunity to discuss
with Janice any issues that you believe would be
beneficial for the ATCA to take a role in, as
well as an opportunity for Janice to gain a grass
roots understanding of how your therapeutic
community (TC) operates. The Executive Officers
position would not be sustainable without the
extra support of those member agencies who have
pledged a percentage of their operational budgets
to assist in funding this worthwhile role for the
ATCA. I would again like to thank those agencies
who have come forward with their pledged funds
over the past year and encourage those of you who
have not done so to consider allowing for this
contribution in your next budget. In addition to
your support, I know Janice will be working hard
to secure ongoing funding to maintain this
position beyond 2008. Janice and myself were
very privileged to receive funding from the AER
Foundation to attend the 23rd World Federation of
Therapeutic Communities Conference (WFTC) held in
New York in September of this year. In excess of
600 delegates attended the conference from 50
different countries, with the ATCA well
represented with at least 10 members attending
from across Australia. Conference planners
ensured a mix of old and new with a blend of
time-honoured traditions and methods and
clinical and academic developments that enrich
the drug addiction treatment field today. The
notion of transferring research into practice was
a recurrent theme throughout the conference and
one that is supported by the ATCA in the
Australasian region. Many of the sessions
attended by myself and others from our
association served to endorse the fact that in
Australia and New Zealand we are at the forefront
of best practice in the TC movement in a number
of areas including, harm minimization,
co-morbidity and evaluation of service
delivery. This year we are gathered in Auckland
New Zealand to celebrate our annual conference
which is aptly named Across the Horizon. This
conference has been generously hosted by The
Higher Ground Drug Rehabilitation Trust and
Odyssey House Auckland. The theme of the
conference is Practice and Research. I would like
to take this opportunity to thank our board
member, and Director of Higher Ground, Stuart
Anderson for agreeing to jointly host this
conference with Odyssey House in New Zealand. In
particular, I would like to thank the organising
committee consisting of Janet Colby, Chris Kalin,
Marino Sherwin and Pat Williams for your
extraordinary efforts in making this conference
happen. I would also like to extend a warm
welcome to all those who have traveled to New
Zealand to attend this conference and to all the
locals who have come along to join in our
celebration of therapeutic community work.
Conferences are a wonderful opportunity to
combine, sight seeing, visiting other TCs,
catching up on the latest in AOD issues from a TC
perspective as well as enjoying the networking
opportunity. In addition to this, the conference
provides the main source of funding to allow our
Board of Directors to maintain contact
throughout the year. Without this source of
revenue we would not be in a position to meet on
a bi-annual basis and conduct conference calls on
a more regular basis. I have been told that there
has been a fantastic response to the conference
this year with around 120 registrations. Once
again, many thanks to Higher Ground and Odyssey
House for the wonderful effort in organising our
annual conference.
15
Just as a reminder to you all, the ATCA is now
producing a quarterly newsletter with the view to
keeping our members more informed about what is
happening in the TC movement. Janice is keen to
receive any articles with pictures so that we
might share the news of what is happening in each
of our TCs. For further information about how to
send in your articles please contact
janice_at_atca.com.au, or contact T 61 (0)2 8252
7512, F 61 (0)2 8252 7513. Early in the New
Year, the Executive Officer Janice, myself and
the Board Members will meet to review our
governance procedures. We have again been
fortunate to receive funding from the AERF to
conduct this audit and will bring in an external
consultant to assist in this process. The ATCA
remains committed to a process of continuous
quality improvement in all areas of its
practice. Finally, I wish to thank the members
of the Board for their continued commitment to
the ATCA. My Vice President Lynne Magor-Blatch,
Treasurer, Gerard Byrne, Ex-Officio, Garth
Popple, Barry Evans, Stuart Anderson, Eric Allan
and Mary Alcorn, thank you all for your efforts
during the past year which has been a period of
sustained growth for the ATCA. I trust that you
all enjoy the rest of this conference and have
the opportunity to take in some of the beautiful
sights of New Zealand. On behalf of the
Board Warm regards Carol Daws President ATCA
16
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ANNUAL REPORT2006
It is a pleasure to present my first annual
report to the members of the Australasian
Therapeutic Communities Association who I must
thank for their enthusiastic encouragement of the
secretariat and the overwhelming support shown to
me as the Executive Officer. It is this
enthusiasm and support that encourages me in my
endeavours to develop a peak body that will
promote the Therapeutic Community model as an
addiction treatment that addresses the complex
needs of those who are drug and alcohol
dependent. An association that is conscious of
the need to advocate for adequate support and
funding to progress this treatment model for the
betterment of those affected by addiction and the
community as a whole. Over the past eight
months, since the secretariat has been in
operation, an office has been established in
Surry Hills NSW, and I would like to take this
opportunity to acknowledge the Salvation Armys
contribution to the Association in providing
these premises rent free. Apart from the
everyday logistics of establishing an office and
the mundane tasks that go with setting up IT and
communication facilities, insurances, accounting
process etc. the ATCA website has been revamped
incorporating the new ATCA logo and the August
edition of Community Speak was published. I have
visited 14 of our member therapeutic communities
in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA. These
visits have been inspiring as I witness the magic
of the TC model first hand. The dedication and
inspired work of staff, the honesty and openness
of residents and the mutual support that is
evident in these communities demonstrates a model
that is well worth advocating. Building a
rapport with a network of supportive
organizations has also been on the agenda.
Meetings with representatives of NADA, WANADA,
ANCD, AERF and attending a meeting for the
establishment of QNADA have all been worthwhile,
as have the many and varied conferences that I
have attended over the past few
months. Travelling overseas I attended the WFTC
in New York and was fortunate enough to be
invited to attend the UKTCs conference in
Windsor Park. This was a very worthwhile venture
as I gained invaluable insight into the
differences and yet similarities of the UK US
model of TCs. While in the UK I was asked to
attend a workshop with the Community of
Communities which is the overarching body of the
many facets of therapeutic communities in the UK.
This workshop was specifically with the Addiction
TC group, which included many well known
identities in the field, and was established to
review the standards for addiction TCs in UK and
Europe. At this meeting I was invited to be part
of the review team to provide input from
Australasia. The Association has been successful
in obtaining funding from the Alcohol Education
and Rehabilitation Foundation for two projects.
The first was to facilitate both me and our
President, Carol Daws, attendance at the WFTC.
The other was a governance grant to review our
constitution, provide a set of governance
policies, EO delegations, Board structure
processes and to develop a strategic plan. I
would like to thank Daryl Smeaton and Board of
the AERF for supporting ATCAs endeavours and
look forward to a long and prosperous
relationship.
17

• Where to from here?
• The past eight months have been used to establish
  a solid base of knowledge and understanding of
  the TC model both in Australasia and
  internationally, developing a network of like
  minded and supportive cohorts and obtaining
  additional project funding.
• The next twelve months will see
• The realisation of a public relations strategy to
  promote the TC model not only to the politicians,
  policy makers and funding bodies but to
  stakeholders and the general public.
• Research undertaken that will support the notion
  of TCs as an effective treatment model.
• A review of the membership process and annual fee
  structure.
• The development of a strategic plan.
• Preparation of policies and procedures to
  facilitate transparent and responsible governance
  of the Association.
• Continued development of relationships with
  members and stakeholders, and
• Provision of responsive and relevant support to
  the members of ATCA.
• I must thank my Board of Directors who have been
  not only supportive but a pleasure to work with,
  the ATCA members who contributed financially to
  the secretariat and to all the ATCAs members who
  so warmly welcomed me into the fold.
• Janice Jones
• Executive Officer

18
TREASURERS ANNUAL REPORT2006

• During the financial year 2005 2006 the income
  sources of the Australasian Therapeutic
  Communities Association came from three sources
• Member agency annual subscription fees.
• Member agency contributions to the establishment
  of the Secretariat.
• A grant from the Commonwealth Department of
  Health and Aging amounting to 300,000 pa over
  three years.
• The association would like to express its
  gratitude to the Commonwealth Department of
  Health and Aging and to those member agencies
  that have provided their agency contribution
  toward the establishment of the Secretariat.
• The Association has changed banking institutions
  this financial year, all accounts held at the
  National Australia Bank were closed and deposits
  transferred to Westpac.
• Two accounts were opened at the National
  Australia Bank
• The day to operating account, into which Member
  Agency contributions to establishment of the
  Secretariat and the funding grant from the
  Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging were
  deposited.
• The Management account into which Member Agency
  annual fees were deposited, this account is used
  to fund, for example, the associations Board
  meetings.
• The financial accounting software package used to
  manage the finances of the association was
  changed from Quickbooks to MYOB. This was
  undertaken in consultation with and at the
  encouragement of the Associations auditors for
  2005 2006, Starr Dean-Willcocks.
• It should be noted that of the initial amount of
  79,800 pledged by Member Agencies for the
  establishment of the Secretariat 46,811.60 has
  been received thus far.
• This is comprised of contributions amounting to
  30,405.80 as first instalment contributions and
  16,405.80 as second instalment contributions.
• This leaves 32,988.40 outstanding.
• A budget was developed for the establishment of
  the Secretariat office. This included furniture,
  information technology hardware and software,
  telecommunication hardware, stationary and a
  variety of additional resources necessary for the
  smooth operation of the office. It should be
  noted that set up came in under budget.
• The Board of the Association would like to
  acknowledge the Executive Director, Janice Jones
  for her efforts in setting up and making the
  Secretariat an operational reality.
• This included not only the physical set up of the
  office but also the organising of the various
  insurance policies, such as, Workers
  Compensation, Public Liability and Professional
  Indemnity for Directors and Officers.

19
AUDITORS ANNUAL REPORT2006
20
AUDITORS ANNUAL REPORT2006
21
AUDITORS ANNUAL REPORT2006
22
AUDITORS ANNUAL REPORT2006
23
AUDITORS ANNUAL REPORT2006
24
ATCA CONFERENCEMELBOURNE 2007
Planning for the 2007 ATCA Conference is well
under way as we gear up to celebrate our 21st
year. The conference will be held at the Park
Hyatt, Parliament Square, Melbourne, on 14th,
15th 16th November 2007. The organising
committee consists Eric Allan from Odyssey House,
Charlie Stewart from YSAS, Keith Edwards from
Windana and Janice Jones from ATCA. We are
asking that all programs make a real contribution
to this years conference. We would like to
create a screensaver postcard review of all the
ATCA member programs. This screensaver will be
played on all conference lap tops during the
conference. In keeping with our 21st anniversary
celebrations, this years conference theme is
Past, Present, and the Future we are asking
each program to provide us with a photo collage
bearing this in mind. For instance you may wish
to include Photos of founders, photos of
buildings at the beginning etc. Significant
events along the way such as visits by
distinguished people anniversaries of programmes
etc. and some more recent photos of your
programmes, your staff, and even residents if
they are happy to contribute to this event.
Please do not feel limited by the above
suggestions any photographic contribution that is
creative will be accepted. Please include short
descriptive captions in these collages so that
delegates at the conference know what they are
looking at. Using program logos might be a good
idea as well. There is no limit to the number
of photos you submit however all images must be
received in the following format 720 x 576
pixels at 72 dpi tiff or jpeg. Please send your
contribution to Janice_at_atca.com.au