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About Us

The Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Residential Rehabilitation Network (ADARRN) is a network made up of representatives of Aboriginal residential rehabilitation services across Australia. The network meets quarterly to support each other and advocate for issues, to share and develop culturally sound best practice principles, knowledge and experience, as well as aiming to be the key consultative group at both a state and national level in regards to Aboriginal residential rehabilitation services.

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Our Logo

The logo was designed by Lindon Dargin a proud Yorta Yorta man, father. Lindon painted this in 2019 because he believes in the hope and strength of rehabilitation, and the work of the ADARRN organisations. In his words “Substance abuse has devastated my life, my family and my community for generations. I put heart and soul into this painting because of what it represents.”

The centre of the logo represents the gathering of people at a meeting place (ADARRN) to discuss the topic of drug and alcohol rehabilitation in the Aboriginal residential rehabilitation setting. It is a yarning circle where Aboriginal people have done business for tens of thousands of years. Where no one is better than anyone else and everyone has the right to speak and be listened to. The colours represent the blue from the oceans and waterways on the coast and the red for the mother earth from inland Australia.

The fish represent the philosophy that a school of fish can survive and flourish better than individual fish. Again the red represents the muddy water fish from inland Australia and the blue is for the coastal fish from the ocean and estuaries.

  

What we do

The network comprises independent services that have joined together to:

  • Be leaders in Aboriginal residential rehabilitation by developing and sharing best-practice approaches in ways to deliver services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients (through the Model of Care).

  • Provide a forum for Aboriginal Community Controlled residential rehabilitation services to share information, knowledge and cultural practice.

  • Regular support for services around targeted services areas e.g. intake planning, outreach, Men’s groups, community groups.

  • Secondments between ADARRN members to share knowledge through experienced based learning.

  • Share resources, exchange information and develop and share best-practice approaches to meet the needs of Aboriginal clients at non-Aboriginal Community Controlled residential rehabilitation services.

  • Facilitate networks for managers, CEOs and staff of Aboriginal residential rehabilitation services.

  • Provide a forum for consultation where stakeholders, policy makers, and funding bodies can access the collective knowledge and advice of the only state-wide AOD residential rehabilitation service network in Australia.

ADARRN meets regularly to enable members to support each other and advocate for issues, to share and develop culturally sound best practice principals, and to share knowledge and experience. ADARRN also aims to be the key consultative group at state, territory and national levels regarding Aboriginal residential Alcohol and Other Drug services.

 

Aboriginal governance and Aboriginal people’s involvement in program delivery is critical to ADARRN members. At the local level, ADARRN services consult with and are governed by the local Aboriginal community including Elders and local Aboriginal leaders. At the state level for example, NSW ADARRN members are members of the AH&MRC.

ADARRN members are also members of the relevant AOD state peaks, for example the Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies (NADA) in NSW or the Association of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies (AADANT) in the NT.

Our Objectives

ADARRN is registered under the Corporations Act 2001 and it's objects under its constitution are:

  • to enhance the long-term viability and operational performance of its members 

  • to support and advise Aboriginal families and communities to navigate support services related to substance use

  • to advocate for our members 

  • to provide for consultation and cooperation between members, families, communities and other stakeholders;

  • to encourage the establishment, quality and reach of Aboriginal Community Controlled Residential and Healing Centres;

  • to improve and promote improvements in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people, families and communities;

  • to represent the interests of members and to make common representations on their behalf to the Commonwealth and State governments and their agencies, and to Australian non-government organisations;

  • to foster research into recovery, promoting Aboriginal leadership, centrality of culture and wholistic healing to benefit all peoples

  • to foster the development and validation of culturally appropriate and specific rehabilitation, healing and treatment tools 

  • to foster and promote training in drug and alcohol issues and culturally appropriate and specific practices 

  • to promote the rights and interests of Aboriginal persons receiving treatment and other services in drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation and healing facilities;

  • to promote the rights and interests of operators of drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation and healing facilities working with Aboriginal peoples and communities

  • to provide information, advisory and consultancy services in relation to any of the above objects; and

  • generally, to do all other things that may appear to the Company to be incidental or conducive to the attainment of these objects or any one or more of them.

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