Skills and Knowledge Exchange Project for Drug and Alcohol Helplines 2016-2018

The “Skills and Knowledge Exchange Project for Drug and Alcohol Helplines” (SKEPDAH) is funded by the European program for education, training, youth and sport (Erasmus +). It is a Strategic partnership for vocational education and training under Key action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices. The duration of the project is 20 months: 31.12.2016 – 31.08.2018.

The participants are Drug and Alcohol Helplines from eight European countries: Ireland, Belgium, Bulgaria (Fracarita Bulgaria), Portugal, Cyprus, Norway, The Netherlands, and Germany. The ninth but no less important partner is The Training Exchange Ltd, UK – a company specialized in training and consultancy for mental health, social care and addiction services.

The objectives of the project are related to some of the needs of the Helpline workers, which were identified with the help of two questionnaires distributed in advance. In the response, three topics stood out:

• Helpline skills for new workers; senior workers and burn-out prevention;
• New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and the challenges for Helplines;
• Drug and Alcohol Helplines and Mental Health/Dual Diagnosis.

The focus of this kind of partnerships is innovation through exchange. Drug and Alcohol Helplines workers of the partners get the opportunity to attend three Transnational Learning Exchange Meetings, with the specific aim of increasing their skills on the three key topics and facilitating knowledge exchange.

Within the framework of this project, three Training Curricula were developed. They are available for onward free use and re-use by Drug and Alcohol Helplines, as well as by similar services anywhere in the world under an Open License.

Curriculum on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)

Curriculum on Burnout Prevention

Curriculum on Co-occuring Substance Use & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis)