| June 19 - New Code of Ethics for AOD sector - New Code of Ethics launched in Canberra |
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As part of Drug Action Week (18-22 June), the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) launched Making Values and Ethics Explicit, a new Code of Ethics for the Australian Alcohol and other Drug Field, in Canberra today (Tuesday, 19 June 2007). The launch by ADCA Patron, Professor Ian Webster AO, at the Karralika Therapeutic Community Adult and Family Program's Centre in Isabella Plains, Tuggeranong, was strongly supported by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation Australian Capital Territory (ADFACT). Professor Webster said the new Code of Ethics was a milestone event provided key statements and resources to guide the AOD workforce while promoting applied ethics engagement as a mechanism for responding to the many challenges in this sector. “In February 2005, the then Chief Executive Officer of ADCA, Ms Cheryl Wilson, initiated a proposal seeking funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DHA) to develop a new Code of Ethics for the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector,” professor Webster said. “It was clear to Cheryl and others at the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne that those working to reduce AOD-related harm in Australia faced many important ethical challenges, at both the macro and micro levels. “They believed what was needed was a way to engage the field on ethics by bringing diverse perspectives together, and that an officially endorsed Code of Ethics was the means of promoting this.” Professor Webster put the question “How often do we ask ourselves what should I do or what is the right thing to do?” commenting that questions about values and ethics are fundamental in all specialty areas of health. “Just as AOD practice must be evidenced based, it should also be explicitly values-based and align with accepted values and ethics of the field,” Professor Webster said. “This a new tool for all of us in the AOD field – workers, clients – and will ensure we treat people better.” He indicated there had been concerns for many years about the level of awareness and the profile of ethics in the sector, and that by developing a new code signified a maturity in AOD practice and acceptance of a willingness to take responsibility for ethics engagement around proper and meaningful standards. Professor Webster said that ADCA, as national peak led by Chief Executive Officer, Ms Donna Bull, was uniquely placed to facilitate the development of a new Code of Ethics. “ADCA can assist in marketing this new initiative, as well as its on-going development and application under a consistent framework of reference within a community of practice, Professor Bull said. “The research by Craig Fry, who at the time was a Senior Research Fellow at Turning Point in Melbourne and now at Monash University, was invaluable in compiling the new Code of Ethics.” NOTE FOR EDITORS/ PRODUCERS Professor Webster and the author of the Code of Ethics, Craig Fry, of Monash University, will be available for interview following the launch. An electronic copy of the publication is on ADCA's website www.adca.org.au from today (19 June 2007). MEDIA ENQUIRIES For further information on the launch, contact David Templeman National Program Manager, Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia, on: 02 62810686 (w) or on mobile at 0400 860058. 19 June 2007 Contact details for Spokespersons Tuesday, 19 June 2007 Theme – Treatment
New South Wales – James A Pitts, Odyssey House, Ph: 02 9820 9999, 0411 144 796 Victoria – Sam Biondo, Executive Officer VAADA, Ph: 03 9416 0899, 0414 974 121 Tasmania – David Clements, Executive Officer ATDC, Ph: 03 6224 7780, 0427 551 600 South Australia – Lesley Edwards, SANDAS, Ph: 08 8231 8818, 0423 294 495 Western Australia – Ms Jill Rundle, Director WANADA, Ph: 08 9420 7236, 0407 055 513 Northern Territory – Paul Finlay, DASA, Ph: 08 8952 8412, 0438 887 394 Queensland – Dennis Young, Drug Arm, Ph: 07 3620 8800 Australian Capital Territory – Phil Lawler, ADFACT, Ph: 02 6292 2733, 0413 153 005 |
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