ConnectED

Are you part of the NSW lived or living experience alcohol and other drugs workforce?

Get ConnectED!

ConnectED is the NSW Users and AIDS Association’s free professional development network for people in the lived or living experience Alcohol and other Drugs workforce in NSW.

ConnectED provides specialist peer support and professional development opportunities for:

People in the NSW lived and living experience AOD workforce;

People wanting to join the NSW lived and living experience AOD workforce, from volunteer through to paid roles;
Organisations in NSW wanting to employ people with lived and living experience of AOD;
Organisations that seek to provide sitgma-free services and support to people who use drugs and/or alcohol.

Are you part of the lived and living experience AOD Workforce?

The ‘lived and living experience AOD Workforce’ describes people who are participating in health service delivery, where their life experiences of alcohol and or other drug use are an integral part of their professional skill base and expertise. This can include as a volunteer, consumer advocate, outreach worker, peer support worker and/or other paid roles. What sets these roles apart from other AOD workforce positions is that peoples lived or living experience of drug and/or alcohol use is a requirement for the role.

Does this sound like you? If your answer is yes, we would love to get you ConnectED!

How can I Get ConnectED?

Free opportunities for individuals with lived or living experience of AOD:

BUILD training will help you build your own capacity and confidence for starting your journey as a peer worker.

4 hours per week for 4 weeks.

SHARE training empowers you to share your story in a way that is purposeful, meaningful and sustainable

3 hours per week for 4 weeks.

GROW is our LLE Community of Practice that will provide a space for LLE workers to share workplace challenges, learnings and lessons.

EXPAND is our webinar series bringing leading experts from across the AOD sector to discuss issues relevant to the LLE workforce.

CONNECT is our online support network that includes access to resources, advice and information forums and professional development opportunities, including research, volunteer and employment opportunities.

BUILD is an introductory course providing purposeful and supported training to develop the skills and knowledge of workers who have living or lived experience alcohol and other drug use and/or treatment – building individual capacity and confidence for starting your journey as a peer worker.
Across the four sessions you will be introduced to the fundamental knowledge and skills required to elevate your lived experience as a peer worker. The course is suited to students with no prior qualification or work experience, or someone who has had limited on the-job experience and would like to consolidate it through formal learning.
The course has been developed and delivered by experienced peers.
Learning Outcomes:
- develop confidence in your understanding of best practice, including the principles, values and practices of peer work
- share part of your story in a purposeful and meaningful way
- discuss issues and challenges related to disclosure when drawing upon your lived experience with clients and colleagues
- reflect upon self-care and explore how to look after yourself to keep well
- understand and have the practical skills to undertake brief interventions
- explore how to negotiate boundaries
- utilise a range of communication skills and practice listening deeply and holding the space for others
- develop co-design and co-facilitation skills
- appreciate the importance of collaboration and partnerships as pathways to better outcomes.
Who can register? Anyone with lived or living experience of drugs and/or alcohol use wanting to develop skills to start peer work or is a peer worker.
Cost: Free
Format: 4-hour sessions every Tuesday for 4 weeks, online via Zoom (10am - 2pm)
2024 Dates: Jan 23rd to Feb 13th and April 2nd to April 23rd.
SHARE is designed to empower people with lived experience of drug use to share their stories in safe and supported ways – focusing on purposeful, meaningful and sustainable storytelling.
In participating in this course participants are supported to share compelling stories safely and effectively, make informed decisions about what they want to share and deliver stories in engaging ways in work and advocacy settings. Focusing on practices of safe storytelling, this course incorporates specific guidance about how to manage legal and professional risks associated with disclosing drug-related behaviours.
Learning Outcomes:
- Learn how to construct personal narratives
- Develop meaningful storytelling practices
- Understand how to work with an audience to give presentations
- Effectively use lived experience in work and advocacy settings.
- Recognise boundaries and risks of disclosure in various contexts.
Who can register? Anyone with lived or living experience of drug use wanting to develop safe storytelling skills.
Cost: Free
Format: Free, 3-hour sessions every Tuesday for 4 weeks, online via Zoom (10am - 1pm).
2024 Dates: Feb 27th to March 19th and May 7th to May 28th.
GROW is our LLE Community of Practice. These sessions are delivered in partnership with NUAA and an expert peer consultant. Their purpose is to provide a space for people working in the LLE AOD Workforce to share workplace challenges, learnings and lessons across the NSW AOD LLE workforce.
Who can register? Anyone with lived or living experience of drug use in a peer identified role.
Cost: Free
EXPAND is our webinar series bringing leading experts from across the AOD sector to discuss issues relevant to the LLE workforce.
Who can register? Anyone interested in issues relevant to the LLE workforce and AOD sector.
Cost: Free
Frequency: One webinar each month
CONNECT is our online support network. Connect includes access to resources, advice and information forums and professional development opportunities
Who can register? Anyone with lived or living experience of drug use wanting to develop skills to start peer work/ or is a peer worker.

For organisations who employ people with lived and living experience of AOD or work with people who use drugs:

EQUIP includes peer-developed modules aimed at ensuring healthcare workers have the skills to provide care and support for people who use drugs. EQUIP explores the effects of stigma and discrimination that people who use drugs experience in healthcare settings and provides strategies to address it, helping services provide quality, person-centred care.

Learning outcomes:

Recognise how stigma and discrimination towards people who inject drugs can generate negative outcomes;
Identify where your assumptions and inherent attitudes about people who use or have used drugs are drawn from;
Recognise the impact that negative language and harmful attitudes may have upon access to health care services;
Challenge assumptions about the motivations of people who inject drugs when accessing health care services; and
Identify personal strategies to implement in practice to build therapeutic relationships with people who inject drugs and drive better health outcomes.

Who can enquire? Organisations that want to equip their staff with the skills to provide quality, stigma-free care to people who use drugs and/or alcohol.

Duration: A choice between a four or two-hour session that can be tailored to organisational needs.

Fee for Service

Enquire please email training@nuaa.org.au with the subject line ‘EQUIP’

Peer Supervision

NUAA can provide one-on-one and group peer supervision to LHD and NGO’s to support their LLE workforce.

Like line management supervision, Peer supervision is an essential support mechanism for lived or living experience workers. Peer supervision provides LLE workers with a peer supervisor to guide and develop the LLE workers professional lived experience practice and lived experience skill set.

Who can enquire? Organisations that employee people with lived or living experience of drug and/or alcohol use.

Fee for Service

Enquire please email training@nuaa.org.au with the subject line ‘Peer Supervision’