What is the aim of this project?
The ATDC has been commissioned by the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, through the Tasmanian Department of Health to collect data and information on the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of ATOD services and programs.
Specifically, the project will:
- Increase understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on the delivery of services and programs and how ATOD community managed organisations are responding to these issues
- Identify any service gaps or challenges, and any changes to client presentations as a result of COVID-19
- Increase understanding of how COVID-19 has impacted Tasmanians experiencing ATOD health concerns and their experiences attempting to access services and programs.
- Provide ATOD information and recommendations to assist the Tasmanian Government’s COVID-19 recovery planning efforts.
How many surveys will I need to complete, and how often?
There will be seven surveys in total, with the first to capture the time period between 1 July to 30 November 2020.
The first survey will be distributed in early December.
Monthly surveys will then continue until July 2020 to capture data and information for the months of January through to June 2021.
How do I access the surveys?
On the second Monday of each month the ATDC will send a survey link to the nominated individual in your organisation.
How long does the survey take to complete?
The first survey will ask you to consider the time period between 1 July to 30 November 2020 and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Future surveys will be shorter, and will take less time.
How quickly do I need to complete each survey?
To enable the ATDC to provide monthly reports to the Minister’s Office and the Tasmanian Department of Health, each survey will need to be completed within one week.
How did the ATDC choose the questions included in the survey?
The majority of the questions included in this survey have been developed by Professor Alison Ritter (University of New South Wales) and Dr Katinka van de Ven (University of New England) and were included in their research project ‘The impact of COVID-19 on the NGO alcohol and other drug sector’. The ATDC has been given permission to include their questions in this project. There are also a small number of questions designed to align with the information your organisation reports through to the AODTS National Minimum Data Set.
What if I can’t access the data or information for all of the questions?
If you are having any difficulty answering any of the questions in the survey do not hesitate to let us know. The ATDC has ensured that the survey questions and the flow of questions have been tested but acknowledge there may still be some hiccups or challenges in the process. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us to talk through any issues.
How will my information be used and will my responses remain confidential?
The ATDC will use the data and information to prepare monthly reports for the Tasmanian Government. All data and information will be aggregated and de-identified.
The monthly reports will also be shared to all participating organisations and made available on our website. Selected aggregate information will also be made available on the ATDC website via a dashboard format.
How will my information be stored?
At all times data collected is password protected and access is restricted. The ATDC handles information according to our privacy policy that can be found here: https://www.atdc.org.au/privacy-policy/
Is participation compulsory?
The ATDC is very grateful for your involvement in this project, and participation is voluntary but we strongly encourage you to participate to enable us to provide a reliable and comprehensive picture of the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of alcohol and other drugs services to government.
Will the data / information collected also include Tasmanian Government services (e.g. delivered through ADS)?
This monthly survey being conducted by the ATDC will only capture information / data from the community managed organisations. The Tasmanian Department of Health have expressed an interest in gathering information from ADS and they will manage this process separately.
Who do I talk to if I have any questions?
For any questions regarding this survey, please contact:
- Anita Parisella – COVID Impact Project Officer via email at anita@atdc.org.au (available Wednesdays and Fridays)
- Alison Lai via email at ceo@atdc.org.au
Thank you.
We appreciate that participating in this project will require someone in your team making time to extract information from your reporting systems and complete the surveys.
This project provides a unique opportunity for the ATDC to establish a data collection process that will assist us to raise awareness of the critical work happening in the ATOD sector across the State and advocate for increased support and investment.
We can’t do this without your support and we value the time and effort that this process will require.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or recommendations for how we might improve the data collection process.
