3. Capacity building for practitioners on evidence-based drug treatment interventions aligned with EU quality standards and tailored to national needs
Abstract
Support to practice is one of the EMCDDA’s key objectives. Facilitating the adoption of evidencebased practices, sharing the experiences developed in Europe and beyond and learning from the partner countries are at the base of the EMCDDA’s training approach.
The work started with a horizon scanning, followed by a needs assessment exercise among Georgian drug treatment professionals to better understand the local context and needs. Drawing on training materials developed by the EMCDDA, such as the Best Practice Portal, the guide to implement quality standards for drugs services and systems and the miniguides on health and social responses to drug problems, we are co-producing a number of training modules. The training is delivered by the EMCDDA and key experts and includes core and optional modules that are combined and adjusted, according to pre-assessed needs.
Participants are accompanied through key steps for developing appropriate responses, evidencebased interventions and quality standards, including methods for evaluating outcomes. They discuss the feasibility and relevance of some European models of care, along with possible obstacles, and strategies to overcome them. By the end of the training they will also have critically reflected on the effectiveness of current interventions and on possible steps of change.
The EMCDDA training on drug treatment boosts the knowledge of evidence-based approaches and provides practical advice on how to design and implement effective responses to the consequences of illicit drug use. Rolling-out the training and translating parts of the materials in Georgian will reach a wider range of practitioners.