Alcohol Mandatory
Treatment
{
Jo Wright
Acting Executive Director
Strategy and Reform
NT Department of Health
AMT Act
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Commenced operation on 1 July 2013
Will be reviewed over the coming months
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3 protective custody episodes in 2 months -> transfer to AMT
Assessment
4 days to Senior Assessment Clinician to prepare a report
4 days from when lodged for Tribunal to hold a hearing
Tribunal = lawyer + health + community members
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Residential Treatment Order up to 3 months
Community Treatment Orders up to 3 months
Income Management Order up to 12 months
Assessment
Detoxification and management of
withdrawal
 Loss of liberty
 Dealing with the health issues
 Reconnecting to family
 Preparation of report to Tribunal
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Treatment
Continuing acute care
 Continuing primary health care
 Sub-acute care
 Rehabilitation
 Preparing for meaningful activity, work readiness,
participation
 Link to external agencies and potential
employment
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Aftercare
Case Management and follow-up
of clients for 12 months
 Link to housing, Centrelink, other
support agencies
 Ongoing community support for
their addiction management
 Ongoing medical support for their
addiction management
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Reports Phase I first 6
months
206 people referred to the Tribunal
 166 persons given orders for
treatment, the majority being
residential treatment orders
 40 persons release orders
 108 persons on aftercare
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Challenges
Establishing a new program, with a challenging
and difficult clientele
 24 hour, 7 day a week service for people who in the
main have been excluded from other residential
programs
 Advocacy is a concept that AOD staff not familiar
with
 Community Visitor Program plays a key role,
again new to the AOD environment
 Service model has been evolving as a result of
continuous evaluation and review by management
 Recruitment has been challenging, but is
improving
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Future
AMT Act review
 Phase II infrastructure roll-out to
Katherine, Tennant Creek, and
relocating of the Darwin service to the
Living Skills Unit at Berrimah when it is
vacated by Corrections
 AMT Service evaluation is under
development, and will commence in
new financial year
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