Quick ATDC Contacts
Please contact us if you have any questions about the ACE Pilot Program.
Project Manager: Dan Vautin, Sector Development Manager, 0427 123 717 or dan@atdc.org.au
Project Sponsor: Alison Lai, CEO, ceo@atdc.org.au
Project Support/Admin: Ruzina Dahal, Sector Development Project Officer, ruzina@atdc.org.au
Media: Liz Knox, Communications and Coordinator, 0434 443 173 or liz@atdc.org.au
What is the ACE Pilot Program?
ACE is a cognitive enhancement program that has been developed in conjunction with the Agency for Clinical Innovation and WHOS in New South Wales.
The ACE part stands for Alcohol and drug Cognitive Enhancement.
The ACE Program has been shown to significantly increase treatment completion rates and dramatically reduce cognitive impairment ratings amongst participants who complete the cognitive remediation group-workshops (see research and background below).
Broadly, there are three key interventions conducted through the ACE Program:
- A brief risk assessment designed specifically for the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector
- A brief executive function assessment tool (BEAT) that provides clinicians with specific detail on where there may be challenges with cognition
- Cognitive remediation workshops that are conducted over a 10-week period, with two by one-hour sessions per week
Collectively, and based on evidence from successful rollouts of the program in NSW, it is hoped that replicating and implementing the ACE Program across the Tasmanian AOD treatment sector will improve the lives and outcomes of people who seek treatment for alcohol and other drugs.
In the second half of 2022, the ATDC hopes to provide further training across the sector to those organisations outside of the initial pilot.
What we do know is that treatment for alcohol and other drug dependence works and that the longer a person stays in treatment, the better the outcomes. Additionally, many of the treatment modalities used to help someone out of dependency rely heavily on behaviour change, and that behaviour change, in turn, requires memory, attention and emotional regulation: in other words, the best possible executive functioning.
You can find loads of information on the ACE Program from the New South Wales Agency for Clinical Innovation.
Who is involved in the initial pilot?
Anglicare Tasmania
Anglicare Tasmania is a not-for-profit organisation providing a range of support services to the people of Tasmania.Read more✖Anglicare Tasmania
In response to the Christian faith, Anglicare strives to achieve social justice and provide the opportunity for people in need to reach fullness of life. We are guided in this mission by the values of compassion, hope, respect and justice. Our first service opened in 1983 to assist people struggling with debt and low income. Hope is more than wishing for a better future. At Anglicare, we see hope as a confident expectation of positive change. It’s the reason we persevere; as an organisation we respond to complex situations and issues, and deliver support that makes a genuine difference. Anglicare has been serving Tasmanians for 35 years. We’re here for the long-haul, devoted to this place and the people who live here. In the past year, our team has provided support to thousands of local people of all ages and postcodes, and worked for social justice in a range of areas including child welfare, poker machine reform and affordable housing. Visit the Anglicare Tasmania website
Holyoake
Holyoake Tasmania Inc. (Holyoake) is a non-profit organisation, which offers a range of group or individual counselling programs for people affected by their own or another’s addictive behaviour or substance misuse.Read more✖Holyoake
Holyoake was founded in 1975 in Western Australia when a small group of alcohol and drug dependent people were concerned about the quality and quantity of help available to individuals and their families with problems related to alcohol, drugs, gambling and other addictive behaviour. Holyoake has operated in Tasmania since 1988. Holyoake is a non-profit community based organisation. Holyoake is not affiliated with any religious, political or commercial organisation. All Holyoake programs are based on a harm minimisation model. Visit the Holyoake website
Launceston City Mission
City Mission seeks to provide assistance to all who have a physical, emotional, social or spiritual need, through a varied program of both social and evangelistic activities. The Mission works actively alongside churches and community groups to bring friendship, care and compassion to those who feel socially isolated.Read more✖Launceston City Mission
City Mission seeks to provide assistance to all who have a physical, emotional, social or spiritual need, through a varied program of both social and evangelistic activities. The Mission works actively alongside churches and community groups to bring friendship, care and compassion to those who feel socially isolated. The Missiondale Therapeutic Community is a 34 bed residential facility located on a 25-acre peaceful rural property in Evandale, Tasmania. The program is made up of four different stages, taking from 2-8 months to complete. Residents of all stages live together in shared accommodation (lounges, kitchens, bathrooms – but you will have your own bedroom) to support each other through the program. Serenity House is a Sobering Up and Place of Safety facility located in Burnie, North West Tasmania. It is also a place for ‘time-out’, offering communal living under the support and supervision of trained staff. Counselling is available, along with referral to other agencies and follow-up when requested. Time-out is available for people from any part of the state where substance misuse is the primary presenting need for support. Visit the City Mission website
Pathways Tasmania
Velocity Transformations is a residential rehabilitation programme based in Moonah, Tasmania.Read more✖Pathways Tasmania
The Transformations Program brings people from a place of addiction to being able to positively participate back in their communities. They are a client-centred, medium-term, drug-free, residential therapeutic community. Provision of services operates within a structured, safe and supportive environment, which adopts an abstinence approach. Visit the Pathways Tasmania website
The Salvation Army Tasmania
The Salvation Army Australia is a national Christian movement, united by faith and giving hope where it's needed most.Read more✖The Salvation Army Tasmania
Across the country they are engaged with every demographic and every age group. They are active in the big cities, the country towns and even in rural communities. You’ll find them involved in national issues and you’ll also find them on the ground day and night, bringing hope wherever there is hardship or injustice. Visit the Salvation Army Tasmania website
Training sessions 2022
ACE Cognitive Enhancement - Whole of Service Training
9 to 24 February | 2x 2-hour online sessions
Six staff per organisation
ACE Cognitive Enhancement Implementation Training
24 & 25 March | 1.5 days, Hobart
Key implementation staff including senior managers and decision-makers, clinical leads, and senior clinicians
Five staff per organisation
ACE Brief Executive function Assessment Tool Training
5 April | 1 day, Launceston
Client facing staff involved in clinical assessment
Five staff per organisation
ACE Cognitive Remediation Group-work Training
31 May & 1 June | 2 days, Hobart
Clinical staff who will likely deliver the cognitive remediation group-work sessions
Three staff per organisation
Community of Practice
In addition to the set training, the ATDC will hold a monthly Community of Practice (CoP). A CoP provides an opportunity for one or two people from each organisation to collectively share challenges, ideas, and learnings as a group.
The meetings will last no longer than 1.5 hours, and will be driven by the participants from each organisation.
2022 CoP schedule
CoP sessions are 1:00pm to 2:30pm on the following dates:
Thursday 10 March
Wednesday 20 April
Tuesday 17 May
Wednesday 15 June
Wednesday 13 July
Wednesday 17 August
Tuesday 13 September
Wednesday 19 October
Thursday 17 November
Wednesday 14 December
Please email dan@atdc.org.au if you would like a CoP meeting invite.
Resources
Resources from the Whole of Organisation Training:
- Jo Lunn’s PowerPoint presentation available on request (email dan@atdc.org.au)
- Fact sheets
- Screening and assessment
- Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL)
- Participant handout
JustACE (Brain Injury Association of Tasmania) referral information:
Group Workshops
View the statewide calendar of ACE Program Group Workshops and submit new workshop information.
Group Workshops
Research and further background
You can find further research and background information on the ACE Program at the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation website here.
Funding
This program is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and through ATDC financial reserves. We would also like to acknowledge all the participating organisations absorbing costs associated with the project.
