Practice Without Walls: How We Built AOD Confidence Across a Mental Health and Wellbeing Local
Tracks
Monarch Room - In-Person Only
| Thursday, May 28, 2026 |
| 1:05 PM - 1:25 PM |
Overview
Corinn Strating, Sara Voegtline & Alana Istanto, Uniting Vic Tas
Details
Three Key Learnings
1. Relationship building is key – Trust and collaboration between AOD specialists and the broader workforce were essential for sustainable change.
2. Models of brief intervention are easy to adopt and implement – We proved that practical, evidence-based tools can be seamlessly integrated into existing workflows without overwhelming staff.
3. Integrated practice needs to be implemented at all levels of the service – From frontline workers to leadership, everyone must be engaged for true integration to take hold.
1. Relationship building is key – Trust and collaboration between AOD specialists and the broader workforce were essential for sustainable change.
2. Models of brief intervention are easy to adopt and implement – We proved that practical, evidence-based tools can be seamlessly integrated into existing workflows without overwhelming staff.
3. Integrated practice needs to be implemented at all levels of the service – From frontline workers to leadership, everyone must be engaged for true integration to take hold.
Speaker
Alana Istanto
Senior Lived Experience Service Manager
Neami National
Practice Without Walls: How We Built AOD Confidence Across a Mental Health and Wellbeing Local
Biography
Alana Istanto (she/her) is the Lived Experience Service Manager at the Whittlesea Mental Health and Wellbeing Local. Guided by Intentional Peer Support (IPS) and relational practice, Alana has a deep commitment to elevate Lived Experience practice. Beginning her journey as a Peer Worker, Alana has held various lived experience leadership roles, including implementing the Peer Cadet Program and supporting the growth of the Lived Experience workforce at Neami. She is driven by a vision of a sustainable, safe, and connected lived experience workforce—where lived experience is valued, nurtured, and embedded across all levels of service delivery.
Corinn Strating
Specialist AOD/Mental Health Clinician
Uniting Vic Tas
Practice Without Walls: How We Built AOD Confidence Across a Mental Health and Wellbeing Local
Abstract
People living with co-occurring alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and mental health concerns have long fallen through the cracks—screened out by rigid eligibility criteria and unable to access services that can adequately support their range of needs. At the Whittlesea Mental Health and Wellbeing Local (the Local), we knew having AOD clinicians wasn't enough. The real challenge? Equipping every mental health clinician and peer worker with the confidence to identify and respond to AOD concerns.
The problem was clear: staff reported feeling underprepared and uncertain when AOD issues emerged. We needed a workforce-wide transformation, not just specialist expertise sitting in isolation.
This presentation shares our journey to build genuine integrated practice—not through top-down mandates, but through strategic, collaborative change. We implemented co-designed training, adopted accessible brief intervention frameworks, and embedded systemic reforms that made AOD capability everyone's responsibility.
We'll share our approach, measurable outcomes, challenges encountered, and practical insights for other services seeking to move beyond siloed care. Learn how we transformed workforce capability and created a service truly equipped to respond holistically to the complex needs of people experiencing co-occurring concerns.
The problem was clear: staff reported feeling underprepared and uncertain when AOD issues emerged. We needed a workforce-wide transformation, not just specialist expertise sitting in isolation.
This presentation shares our journey to build genuine integrated practice—not through top-down mandates, but through strategic, collaborative change. We implemented co-designed training, adopted accessible brief intervention frameworks, and embedded systemic reforms that made AOD capability everyone's responsibility.
We'll share our approach, measurable outcomes, challenges encountered, and practical insights for other services seeking to move beyond siloed care. Learn how we transformed workforce capability and created a service truly equipped to respond holistically to the complex needs of people experiencing co-occurring concerns.
Biography
Corinn is a social worker based in Melbourne who brings energy and innovation to her leadership role at Uniting AOD Services. With over a decade of hands-on experience in AOD —from AOD counselling to rough-sleepers initiatives—she has led cross-sector partnership programs with creativity and purpose. Grounded in critical social work theory and harm reduction approaches, she has co-authored a Uniting AOD Model of Care and a Partnerships toolkit, driving evidence-based practice and equitable access to quality services. Passionate about challenging incompetent systems and reducing drug-related harm across Australia, Corinn approaches her work with enthusiasm, and commitment to ongoing collaboration.
Ms Sara Voegtline
Team Leader, Integrated Care
Uniting Vic Tas
Practice Without Walls: How We Built AOD Confidence Across a Mental Health and Wellbeing Local
Biography
Sara is a dynamic emerging leader and mentor at Uniting AOD Services and in the Victorian Collaborative AOD Leadership Network. A passionate harm reduction advocate, she has pioneered innovative inter-organisational partnerships, serving as a primary author of the Uniting AOD Partnerships Toolkit. Sara champions collaborative practice at the intersection of mental health and AOD services and was instrumental in establishing the Whittlesea Mental Health and Wellbeing Local, which features the most integrated AOD workforce among the existing mental health locals in Victoria. Her work continues to shape best practice in integrated service delivery across Victoria.
