"Shit that normal people do": using young peoples’ voices to create a qualitative scale for measuring young peoples’ progress in treatment
Mandy Wilson, Sherry Saggers, Helen Wildy and Carmen Acosta
National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, University of Western Australia and Mission Australia
Contact Email:   Mandy.Wilsoncurtin.edu.au

Adolescent substance use in Australia is on the rise. Evidence exists linking misuse of alcohol and other drugs to a range of health and social harms, and reduced life chances for young people. Young people with substance misuse problems are less likely to complete their schooling, obtain secure employment, and contribute positively to their communities than other young people.

Studies indicate that people who undergo formal treatment are more likely to reduce drug use and have improved physical and mental health than those who do not. However, insufficient evidence is available to determine ‘what works’ for young people using inpatient treatment services. There are few qualitative tools to gauge outcomes - despite research and practitioner wisdom suggesting that issues related to client’s experiences of treatment are not being captured by existing quantitative measures.

Focusing on data collected from young people at two residential drug and alcohol services over the period of a year, this paper describes the development of a qualitative composite framework for measuring the progress of young people in treatment for alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues and considers the implications these findings may have for future service and policy practice.

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