Mission Australia’s SHIFT Youth AOD Outreach Service has won the WA Network of Alcohol & other Drug Agencies Excellence Award for Preventing and Reducing Alcohol and Other Drug Harms in Young People.
SHIFT provides youth alcohol and other drugs outreach support across the metropolitan area, offering AOD counselling, brief intervention, group education and psychology services.
The outreach model means the service connects with young people in environments where they feel safe and comfortable and reaches significantly disengaged young people that would otherwise not access support services.
This activity has been supported by funding provided by the Australian Government under the PHN Program.
Shane*, a 22-year-old man, has been engaged with SHIFT for the last year. He has a history of family and domestic violence, has experienced suicidal thoughts and multiple suicide attempts, and has a history of alcohol and cannabis use. Previously he had a difficult experience in accessing support to manage his alcohol and drug dependency, leading him to re-engage in harmful coping strategies at home. Through the support of SHIFT, Shane attended a residential treatment service to progress his recovery journey. He has developed a trusting relationship with his case manager which has also improved his confidence in communicating his needs to support services.
Chris* is an 18-year-old woman who engaged with SHIFT due to concerns about her daily cannabis use and social anxiety which prevented her from leaving her house without a family member or friend. With the support of SHIFT, Chris increased her knowledge of harm reduction, engaged in motivational interviewing and relapse prevention, and commenced a substance reduction regime. Chris also worked alongside the SHIFT psychologist to explore the impacts and strategies related to her social anxiety. She is no longer using cannabis and is focused on her future, hoping to continue her studies in the community services field and support others.
