GHP June 2017

GHP / June 2017 15 , SO170044 Best Female Residential Substance Treatment Service – Sydney JarrahHouse is Australia’s first Non-government, not for profit organisation to support women and their children undergo detox together. We recently invited CEO, Sandy Kervin to tell us more about JarrahHouse. Jarrah House is the trading name of the Women’s Alcohol and Drug Advisory Centre and has been operating this year for 30 years. Their purpose or mission is to support and empower, health and wellbeing of women and children by providing an effective therapeutic drug and alcohol service. How they achieve this is with the programs that they offer, the care and treatment they give and the follow up with their pilot after care program. Offering medicated and non-medicated withdrawal management program with our experienced team available to their clients 24/7. Jarrah House’s reputation in the drug and alcohol field is well respected and demand to access their service far outweighs their ability to meet the needs of women and women with children, Sandy further explains. “Onsite we have a child care space so those women who come to treatment with a child can still focus on their recovery and getting well. Not all clients have children or have the ability to bring their children into treatment as places are limited. “The 10-week residential program consists of two parts. Part one concentrates on withdrawal and developing an understanding of cognitive skills through the evidenced based practice of Cognitive Behaviour Training (CBT). Once this 4-week program is completed they clients graduate and enter the skills development part of the program, Dialectic Behaviour therapy (DBT) for 6 weeks. We also have a pilot program running for after care which is showing amazing results.” Behind every successful organisation is a team of passionate, dedicated, individuals who work tirelessly to ensure they achieve what they set out achieve. At Jarrah House, Sandy praises the highly skilled and professional team. “The multidisciplinary staff at Jarrah House are able to support the women and children with their health concerns. Not only with drug and alcohol misuse, but also with women’s health issues/concerns, address parenting issues, housing, financial as well as address and understanding trauma, domestic violence and relapse prevention. “To maintain currency we offer our team ongoing internal education, external professional development and external supervision. We have many staff members who have been with Jarrah House for over 15 years, one has been here since we started. As a very busy team working across a 24/7 roster we have to work together, have trust and a passion for making a difference in the lives of our clients. Annually, we have staff reviews, weekly case reviews, client feedback, staff meeting and ongoing education to improve our knowledge and support out team.” Located in NSW, Australia, Sandy informs us of the benefits and challenges of being based there. “Jarrah House covers all of NSW and only service women and their children up to 8 years old. We also have a high percentage of aboriginal women and support women from all demographics. “As we are located in a lovely part of NSW, the major challenge that we face is that it can be very restrictive with no train service and only buses, that said the buses do run regularly.” As for what the future holds, Sandy reflects on how Jarrah House are always working to meet their vision and seeing the best outcomes for their clients, but also noting on how they will adapt to developments within the wider social market. “Our strategic plan has growth as one of the tiers and with our skills, expertise and passion to see women and children reach their full potential and lead a productive and fulfilling life, we can continue to grow and offer more service. Currently, we are funded for about 50% of our service so we can grow and continue to offer more but we have to find financial support to do this. “Jarrah House’s vision statement is to be the influential leader and premier provider of drug and alcohol treatment services, providing education, support and advocating for change for women, children and the community. I am very proud of the team I lead.” Contact: Sandy Kervin Contact Email: [email protected] Company: Jarrah House, PO Box 6026 NSW NSW 2036 Telephone Number: (02) 9661 6555