Media Release: Local Drug Action Team set to support Southern Grampians

The Australian Government and the Alcohol and Drug Foundation have announced a Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) for the Southern Grampians to prevent and minimise alcohol and other drug-related harm in the community.

It brings the total number of Local Drug Action Teams across Victoria to 65, and 280 Teams nationally.

The Local Drug Action Team Program supports organisations to build or extend partnerships in their neighbourhoods and use local knowledge to deliver evidence-informed alcohol and other drug harm prevention activities that are tailored to individual community needs.

The Live4Life Southern Grampians LDAT is a partnership between school and community and will support young people in the area, particularly around positive mental health and alcohol use.

Live4Life will deliver accredited teen and youth mental health first aid training in schools and the wider community, creates local partnerships to lead conversations about mental health that reduce stigma, and promotes young leaders as Mental Health Ambassadors. A key strength of Live4Life will be its youth ambassadors – the Southern Grampians Crew, a group of over 20 young people aged 14-16 years who lead discussion about positive mental health in their schools and the wider community.

The next steps for the LDAT is to work with the Alcohol and Drug Foundation to develop a Community Action Plan, which will confirm its evidence-based harm prevention activities, who they will reach and exactly where they will be delivered.

Local Drug Action Teams receive an initial $10,000 to develop Community Action Plans and can apply for further funding to deliver activities within their Community Action Plan.

Alcohol and Drug Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Erin Lalor said a high number of community partnerships applied to join the Local Drug Action Team Program.

“Strong demand from communities across Australia has meant the number of Local Drug Action Teams is higher than originally planned, giving us the opportunity to now work with 280 passionate community partnerships,” Dr Lalor said.

“More than 1,300 organisations are now part of Australia’s extensive Local Drug Action Team Program network. This shows how determined community organisations are about building healthier and more connected communities,” Dr Lalor added.

Local Drug Action Teams help to strengthen their neighbourhoods by delivering primary prevention initiatives such as peer support, mentoring, education in schools, support for young people and resources to reduce alcohol harms in pregnancy.

Dr Lalor said tailored community led initiatives are vital in preventing and minimising harms caused by alcohol and other drugs.

“The Local Drug Action Team Program recognises that every community is unique and there’s no one-size fits all solution to addressing alcohol and other drug issues,” said Dr Lalor.

The Local Drug Action Team Program is part of the Australian Government’s investment of more than $450 million under the National Ice Action Strategy since 2016-17.

The Federal Government has this year provided an additional $500,000 for the LDAT program to increase its numbers nationwide to 280, strengthening community efforts to prevent alcohol and drug related harm in this important post -COVID era.

Click here to find a map of Local Drug Action Teams across Australia

ENDS

For more information about the Local Drug Action Team Program please visit https://community.adf.org.au/ or call the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s media team on 0430 948 380.

About the Alcohol and Drug Foundation: Celebrating almost 60 years of service to the community, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation is one of Australia’s leading bodies committed to preventing and minimising alcohol and other drug harms in communities around the nation. The Foundation reaches millions of Australians in local communities through sporting clubs, workplaces, healthcare settings and schools, offering educational information, drug and alcohol prevention programs and advocating for strong and healthy communities.

For comment, contact: Cathryn Walder on 0406 024 561

High resolution images of Live4Life’s programs can be downloaded here

Youth Live4Life’s Media Backgrounder can be viewed here