An evaluation study on a dual diagnosis resources - Reasons for Use Package (RFUP) - developed by Nexus and Neami National

Simon Kroes and Kevan Myers from Nexus Dual Diagnosis Service have designed the Reasons for Use Package (RFUP). It is a Dual Diagnosis resource which combines a 26 item Reasons For Use Scale questionnaire with a menu of intervention strategies to assist workers to engage in meaningful exploration with consumers around dual diagnoisis issues. A number of small pilots of the RFUP between 2012 and 2014 indicated positive results. In 2015 Nexus collaborated with Neami National, a mental health non- governmental organization on a national evaluation of the efficacy of the RFUP with respect to building staff confidence and knowledge in dual diagnosis interventions. 40+ staff in Victoria were compared to a similar cohort of staff from New South Wales. The Victorian staff where trained and mentored in the use of the RFUP with consumers. This conference presentation will report comparison data from the measures of confidence and knowledge of the staff groups as well as key points gained through focus groups and consumer feedback.