Turning Point successful in competitive HCF Grant funding

Turning Point is pleased to announce that we have been awarded funding from the Hospital Contribution Fund (HCF) Foundation in the 2024 Health Services Research scheme.

Co-led by Turning Point and Monash University Early Career Researchers Dr Ari Roxburgh and Dr Annette Peart, the project will test a new tool that helps Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) peer workers support people to build vital resources – including personal, social, and community-based resources – that will help them achieve and sustain recovery from addiction.

“We know that people seeking help for alcohol or drug use benefit from the support of peer workers, who draw on their own experiences of service use and treatment to support others facing the same challenges,” says Dr Roxburgh, who is the lead recipient of the grant.

“The digital tool we are testing has been designed to identify strengths and barriers relevant to each individual’s unique journey and help them create a plan to address these barriers and build on their strengths, in collaboration with peer workers,” he explains.

The project’s co-investigators are Professor Victoria Manning, Professor Dan Lubman, Dr Michael Savic, and Professor David Best.

It has been developed with the invaluable support of Turning Point’s Manager of Lived Experience Workforce and Advocacy Benn Veenker and Research Assistant Lauren Findlay.

“The whole team is excited to have the opportunity to build evidence for the critical work that peer workers do in inspiring and strengthening recovery pathways,” says Dr Roxburgh.

“We are very grateful to HCF for supporting this important work!” he adds.

Read more about the grant, including the Hospital Contribution Fund (HCF) Foundation, in their 2024 Year in Review.

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