The Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) provide the Safe and Sober Support Service (SSSS). SSSS is a secondary treatment service in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, attempting to work in a holistic and culturally appropriate way to facilitate improved wellbeing for Aboriginal people experiencing the effects of harmful alcohol use. The overall goal of the SSSS is to provide a holistic and culturally appropriate counselling, therapeutic treatment and support service that strengthens the cultural, social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal people and their families. SSSS aims to support Aboriginal clients in Alice Springs experiencing harms associated with alcohol and other drug use, by providing assessment and multidisciplinary therapeutic intervention in a coordinated, holistic way.
SSSS is a multi-pronged approach to alcohol and other drugs (AOD) service delivery, and consists of four components: ambulatory casework and care coordination; the Prison In-Reach Program; AOD sector partnerships and development; and, the program evaluation.
The National Drug Research Institute has been engaged to progressively evaluate the SSSS. Using measures of success identified by the program, and the evaluation framework developed in consultation with the SSSS. The evaluators utilise mixed methods to measure the current effectiveness of the program, providing regular direction for the SSSS.
This presentation will discuss both the SSSS following one year of operation, and discuss the role, value and benefit of well-planned progressive evaluations for community-based interventions, as well as the importance of a Program evolving to meet the needs of the organisation and clientele.