This Toolkit aims to distill what was learned during the implementation of the project Opening Doors - Increasing access to effective harm reduction interventions for vulnerable and marginalised young drug users, supported by AidsFonds, Netherlands.

Purpose
The purpose of the Toolkit is to provide a set of training sessions to stimulate discussion that can lead to ‘youth friendly harm reduction’ services. This may entail review of services, their renewal and, possibly, re-design.

The topics covered in each of the 16 training sessions are as follows:

1. Youth-Friendly Services
2. Youth-Friendly Services II
3. Harm Reduction For Young People Who Use Drugs
4. NSP, Outreach, Drop-in-Centres, Risk and Safety
5. Drugs, Withdrawal, Overdose and OST
6. BBIs, HIV, HCV, HBV, TB, STIs
7. Health and Nutrition
8. Mental Health and Well-being
9. Basic Counselling
10. Motivational Enhancement
11. Group work
12. Relapse prevention
13. Building Young Leaders – Peer Educators
14. Activities
15. Essential Networks and advocacy
16. The Change Process

Each session in the Toolkit includes:

• Written reference material
• Diagrams and images to explain key concepts
• Provacative questions to stimulate group brain storming
• Questions for smaller group discussions

Attached here is only the PDF component of the Toolkit. The full Toolkit comes with an accompanying CD/USB. For further information, please contact Dr John Howard john.howard@unsw.edu.au

Who is the Toolkit for?
The Toolkit can be used with a variety of audiences, and a mix and match approach can be useful. For example,

• Staff of a particular service
• Staff from other services
• Community groups
• Key stakeholders
• Young people who use drugs
• All of the above participating in the same training – an ‘ideal approach’

What the kit does NOT provide
The Toolkit does not aim at teaching or developing specific skills. The aim is to:

• Promote reflection on current practice
• The identification of specific areas that necessitate workforce capacity building
• The development of essential and supportive networks to provide what cannot currently be provided, and, possibly
• Facility re-design (for example, re-design of space allocation and use to which space is allocated) or additions (for example, in the form of equipment).

How to use the Toolkit:
The Toolkit can be used in a variety of ways:

• It can be used for staff training for a particular service. ‘Staff’ includes managers, clinicians, residential, peer and outreach workers and volunteers.
• It can form the (or part of) curriculum for staff training hosted by a particular service for their own and staff of other services.
• Individuals can use it in a self-directed format.

Citation: Howard, J. (2011). “Opening doors” enhancing youth-friendly harm reduction: a toolkit. Chiang Mai, Thailand: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales and Access Quality International.

Resources

• Toolkit Youth-Friendly Harm Reduction (English).pdf