Canadian Addiction Treatment Workforce Survey



Synopsis

There is much that is not known about the nature of the Canadian addiction treatment workforce and the factors that impinge on practice and professional development. CCSA is addressing the need for information on the training and development needs and issues of practitioners in the treatment field by conducting a survey of a national random sample of treatment program managers and front line workers. This survey will provide a basic profile of the professional development issues of the specialized addiction treatment sector. The findings will serve as a primary reference for a national meeting of stakeholders tasked with developing a national workforce development agenda. They will also serve as a base line against which CCSA and partners can measure outcomes of activities undertaken to address issues arising from the survey (as per CCSA’s logic model). Finally, the results of the study will clarify the need for further research on the training and professional development issues facing this workforce.

Aim

To determine the levels and types of education and professional development experiences among managers and front line workers in specialized treatment agencies, to identify training and professional development needs and to explore factors that influence the ability of the workforce to provide services of the highest quality.

Management

This research is being funded by CCSA, and is led by CCSA’s Division of Best Practices and Training with the support of the Division of Policy and Research. The principal investigator is Dr Alan Ogborne. To guide this research, CCSA has formed an advisory committee, with representation from CECA organizations (CAMH, AFM, AADAC, Kaiser Foundation), Health Canada, CSC’s Addiction Research Centre and Michelle Dartnall, an agency director. Terms of reference for this committee are to provide advice on the development and administration of the survey, contribute to the interpretation of the data, and help identify implications for planning and further research. This will involve one face-to-face meeting, 3-4 phone meetings, and email communication.

Method

Our approach provides for a random sample of up to 800 agencies legally responsible for providing specialized substance abuse treatment services, and assumes that there will be 1 director or head of agency, 1-2 service managers and an average of 6 staff per service. CCSA’s database of treatment services will serve as our main sample source. Agency directors will be contacted by letter asking them to complete a questionnaire and to identify the number of relevant staff to whom we may send program questionnaires.

Deliverable

Final report (Eng/Fr), including an executive summary, national, regional and sectoral analysis of data, a discussion and conclusion that addresses implications for planning and further research. The author may pursue publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

For more information, contact:

Gary Roberts, CCSA (groberts@ccsa.ca)

Alan Ogborne, CCSA (alan.ogborne@sympatico.ca)