THE TRANSDRUG PROJECT AND ITS RESULTS

The Transdrug project was a response to challenges that arise from change in patterns of substance use and methods of intervention, leading to a need to update the knowledge and skills of professionals who deal with substance use-related problems. An understanding of existing and emerging needs is required for the development of adequate training. The objective of the Transdrug project was to develop training needs assessment methods that are easily applicable in various work settings and yield relevant information to enhance training plans.

The project's work consisted of:

• Developing methods for identifying training needs among professionals who deal with substance use-related problems.
• Testing and fine-tuning the methods at local/regional level.
• Producing a Tool Kit consisting of case studies that illustrate the potential and limitations of the methods used.

Method development and testing was carried out, not by academics, but by trainers and other professionals employed by partner organisations, that is, members of the Tool Kit's intended target group.

The work done in the project took a different form in each partner country. In the Slovak Republic, the partners carried out eight sub-projects, co-ordinated by the CPLDZ in Bratislava. A range of methods were used to gather information about various professional groups' training needs. This approach was chosen because information about the training offered and about needs for training was dated and patchy.

In Finland, sub-projects were carried out separately by the partners. The vocational training institutions involved in the project focussed on the needs and interests of students, applicants or former students. Pirkanmaa Polytechnic used the information gathered to design the contents of a new specialisation programme in substance abuse work. Tampere Institute for social and health care studies examined the views of students preparing for the newly established competence-based qualification in substance abuse work.

The A-Clinic Foundation's main interest was to gather information to support the development of training offered by the Foundation's local units to health and social services personnel. The Foundation's sub-project in Kuusankoski examined drugs-related training needs among municipal decision-makers. In the Turku sub-project, training needs were explored in the context of half-day seminars designed to give information about topical issues to a cross-professional audience. The A-Clinic Foundation developed a survey instrument that was used in the Foundation's own sub-projects and by several other Finnish partners.

In Italy, the three partners - addiction services of the Local Health Care Authorities in Rovigo, Adria and Padova - joined forces to carry out an ambitious multiphase project in which a range of research methods were used to draw up a scenario of changes in drug use in the Veneto Region, to anticipate changes in clients' needs, to explore changes in the demands placed on addiction on professionals and to identify training needs.

In the Netherlands, a countrywide project focussed on developments in the addictions field and training was already underway when the Transdrug project started. The results were used to examine the development of addiction training in a broader context. Training needs were also examined with reference to the re-structuring of Jellinek's addiction services. A Dutch sub-project consisted in redesigning the course evaluation and needs assessment instrument of the European Addiction Training Institute.

The Transdrug Tool Kit

The Transdrug project's main product is A Trainer's Tool Kit based on the experiences and insights gained in the project. The Tool Kit is intended as a handbook for teachers, training planners, administrators and managers-anyone interested in enhancing substance use-related training offered to professionals or future professionals. Case reports describe a concrete training needs assessment situation, listing pros and cons of the method used and skills needed to facilitate the process effectively. A short summary of the findings is provided. Some case reports describe how the findings were used to develop addiction training. The Tool Kit also offers articles that take a broader view of addiction training.

The emphasis is on working methods and tools that enhance flexibility and responsiveness in the provision of addiction training. The Transdrug Tool Kit offers a selection of methods that can be used for example:

• to gauge students' interests and needs
• to explore needs for continuing and updating training
• to survey demand for training in specific topics
• to develop vocational training, personnel training or specialist courses.

A Trainer's Tool Kit is available as a book in English, Finnish, Italian and Slovak and as an electronic publication in English, Finnish and Dutch.

Substance abuse services and training in partner countries

The four partner countries-Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and the Slovak Republic-are quite dissimilar in terms of substance use profiles, structures for treatment and rehabilitation, and training systems and practices. Successful co-operation and exchange, whether within a transnational project or in other contexts, requires an awareness of differences and similarities.

A series of articles based on information gathered during the Transdrug project describe in general outline addiction services and addiction training in partner countries. The articles are intended to help put into a context the findings presented in the Tool Kit and to serve as an information source in student placement.

Addiction training in Finland is in focus in a collection of articles written by Finnish Transdrug partners and by other experts. The articles examine current issues in Finnish addiction training, including the newly established competence-based qualification in substance abuse work, new specialisation programmes and post-graduate studies in polytechnics, the development of substance use components in nursing training, and forms of regional co-operation in the addiction training field.

Perspectives on addiction training in Finland and the other overview articles are available in section resources of this web site.

Promoting the use of ICT in the addictions field

The Transdrug project sought to promote wider use by addiction professionals of ICT and especially Internet-based sources of information about substances and addictions.

Training in the use of information and communication technologies was organised for project participants in some partner countries. Experiences of ICT training and of the use of ICT in some partner organisations are presented in articles available in the section resources of this web site. The section also offers links to potentially useful sources of information.

Enriching professional skills and fostering networking

For the trainers and addiction professionals involved, the Transdrug project offered an opportunity to enrich professional skills and to get a grasp of the factors that contribute to the changing demands of the job.

In an external evaluation survey (N=36) conducted when the project was half way through, 87% of the respondents felt that the project had provided them with opportunities for learning and professional growth. For 46% the project had given a chance to compare their own organisation with other organisations in the field and 35% had got new ideas on how to develop their work. When asked to indicate the most important work-related gain from the project, 28% of the respondents mentioned new information and 27% mentioned professional growth.

The project also contributed to networking among professionals in the addictions field: 68% of the respondents had made useful contacts and 17% considered contacts with new people as the most important benefit from the project.

Internal evaluation surveys, conducted periodically throughout the project, indicated similar gains: the project provided participants with experience of national co-operation, new international contacts, new tools for work in the addiction service and training sector, ICT skills, improved English language skills, and improved project work skills.

Updated 13.1.2004