Overview and mapping of the Ice: Training for Frontline Workers online training
package
This mapping document has been developed specifically to support community managed mental health services with the implementation of the Victorian
Government’s Ice: Training for frontline workers online package.
It aims to assist services to more easily navigate the six modules and determine the relevance of each topic for the different staff within their services. In an
environment of competing demands for training, it may assist in ensuring that training is targeted, time-efficient, and more likely to be supported and implemented
within the service.
It provides:
‐
An overview of the seven modules and the 28 topics within those modules
‐ Suggestions on the relevance of each topic for various staff based on job role, level of experience, or previous training
Where reference is made to ‘workers’ or ‘staff’ it refers to the staff of community managed mental health services, in particular the service delivery staff, unless otherwise
stipulated.
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 1 Overview and mapping of the Ice: Training for frontline workers online training package
MODULE 1: ABOUT ICE
Topic
1.1.
About ice and other forms of
methamphetamine
1.5 hours
1.2.
Patterns of ice and other forms of
methamphetamine use in
Australia
1.5 hours
1.3.
How methamphetamine / ice
affects users
1 hour
1.4.
Content
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


What ice is and what class of drugs it belongs to
The different forms of methamphetamine
The history of methamphetamine
How methamphetamine is produced and supplied.
 Patterns of methamphetamine and ice use in



Australia
Characteristics of people who use ice
Trends in ice use over time
Ice-related harms.
How ice affects people in relation to:
 Intoxication
 Cognitive (thinking) impairment
 Crash and withdrawal
 Dependence.
Methamphetamine: Legal issues
 The range of Victorian offences associated with
20 mins
methamphetamine
 Trends in methamphetamine offence data
 Information about clandestine drug laboratories.
Relevance
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
Essential for new staff with no previous AOD training
Relevant to experienced staff with no previous AOD training


Relevant for new staff with no previous AOD training
Relevant to experienced staff with no previous AOD training
The video Methamphetamine use in Australia: What the data tells us
about patterns of use, by Prof Ann Roche, address the facts about Ice
use and challenges some of the ‘hype’. It might be useful as a
resource for:
‐ Staff with previous AOD training or experience may benefit
from a refresher video, in lieu of Topics 1.1 and 1.2
‐ Group discussion on the facts about Ice use and implications
for services
Essential topic for all staff.
Could definitely be considered one of the ‘core’ units of this package.
Also relevant for any reception staff or non-professionals who have
frontline contact with ice users
Low relevance for any staff within community managed mental health
services
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 2 MODULE 2: EFFECTS OF ICE
Topic
2.1.
Content
Ice intoxication
 Signs, symptoms and behaviours associated with
different levels of ice intoxication
85 mins
Relevance
 Could be considered one of the ‘core’ units of this package
 Essential for all staff dealing directly with consumers
 Recommended even for those with AOD experience, as it
 The impacts of:
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
2.2.
Ice withdrawal and long term
effects
focusses on intoxication and issues specific to ICE users
Ice-related sleep deprivation
Hunger
Dehydration
Risky behaviours
Psychosis.
 The major signs, symptoms and behaviours commonly
seen with ice comedown and withdrawal and their
likely duration.


Essential for all staff dealing directly with consumers
Recommended even for those with AOD experience, as it
focusses on withdrawal, ‘crash’ and long term effects specific
to ICE users


Essential for all staff dealing directly with consumers
Highly recommended even for those with AOD experience
40 mins
 The harms that people using ice may experience after
longer periods of use.
2.3.
Using ice with alcohol and other
drugs
The impacts of combining ice with alcohol and a range of
other drugs which affect the brain.
20 mins
Discusses risks of combining ice with alcohol or other
drugs, including prescribed medications for mental illnesses
and disorders; also touches on harm reduction strategies.
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 3 MODULE 3: COMMUNICATING WITH ICE USERS
Topic
3.1.
3.2.
Content
Communicating and engaging
with ice users


1 hour

Assessing and managing self-harm
and suicide with ice users
45 mins
How to identify ice intoxication
How to assess, communicate and engage with
intoxicated people
How to recognise and address stigma associated with
Ice use.
 How to carry out first aid level self-harm risk
assessments for people affected by ice
 Describes risk and protective factors for self-harm
 How to respond to people threatening self-harm.
Relevance
This is a core topic for this package.
This topic is essential for any inexperienced staff or those with no
training in dealing with challenging behaviours.
Also highly relevant for any reception staff or non-professionals
who have frontline contact with ice users.
Where the main purpose of the training is to build skills in effective
communication with ice users, this topic is best combined with
Topics 1.3 and 2.1
Essential topic for any service delivery workers in the MH sector
as Ice use can indirectly worsen symptoms of a coexisting mental
illness.
Workers who have recently completed ASIST training can be
exempted from doing this topic.
Peer workers and volunteers with no formal training in mental
health would benefit greatly from this training.
3.3.
Basic mental health responses for
ice users
40 mins
The characteristics of mental health first aid for individuals
affected by ice and experiencing conditions such as:
 Depression
 Self-harming behaviour
 Anxiety and panic
 Psychosis
This topic should be delivered in conjunction with Topic 3.1
Relevant and helpful to peer workers, volunteers or other
frontline workers (including reception staff) with no formal mental
health training and limited experience in mental health work.
This topic refers to the mental health conditions that result from the
(long term) use of, or withdrawal from ice, rather than pre-existing
mental health conditions combined with ice use.
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 4 MODULE 4: ICE USERS AND CRITICAL INCIDENTS
Topic
4.1.
Critical incidents involving ice
users
Content

1 hour

4.2.
Managing critical incidents
How to assess work environments for potential risks or
critical incident triggers involving people affected by
crystal methamphetamine, including those related to
staff training and communication, work practices, and
environmental and security factors
How to assess and prioritise the risks; implement risk
prevention and control measures; and monitor and
review responses to critical incidents
How to:
Identify signs of impending aggression or violence in
people affected by Ice
 Implement de-escalation techniques to manage the
chance of aggression or violence occurring
 Implement de-escalation techniques to manage a
person who has been using Ice.
This topic could be used as an essential component of WH&S
training for all staff within the service, including team leaders and
management
How individuals and services that respond to critical
incidents (involving people affected by ice) can recover and
resume normal service delivery.
This topic provides guidance, within the context of an
organisation's policies and procedures, to:
Relevant to those responsible for implementing actions
immediately after a critical incident; and for implementing the
organisation’s Service Resumption Plan.

45 mins
4.3.
Recovery, review, resumption
40 mins
Relevance
This topic could be used as an essential component of WH&S
training for all staff within the service, including team leaders,
management and reception staff.
Focuses on organisational/ management responsibilities, but
includes definitions and general info on OHS that is relevant for all
workers.



Ensure that physical, emotional, and psychological
needs are met at the conclusion of a critical incident.
Support the implementation of the organisation's
Service Resumption Plan.
Support the implementation of alternative options if the
consumer (involved in the incident) cannot return to
the service.
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 5 MODULE 5: INTERVENTIONS
Topic
5.1.
Overview of interventions
20 mins
5.2.
Brief interventions
20 mins
5.3.
Assessment
55 mins
5.4.
Counselling and cognitive
behavioural approaches
Content
Relevance
A brief overview of a range of interventions available for
people with ice-related problems:
 Brief interventions
 Assessment
 Counselling and CBT
 Withdrawal management
 Relapse prevention and management
Relevant to all inexperienced staff as it gives a basic overview of
the relevant interventions, and applies it to the Stages of Change
model.
It could be expected that experienced workers, and those with
Dual Diagnosis or AOD training would already have this
knowledge and experience.
Information on:
 Brief interventions for people with ice-related problems
 The main elements of brief interventions, including
FRAMES and 5 key steps.
Relevant to all inexperienced staff.
It could be expected that experienced workers, and those with
Dual Diagnosis or AOD training would already have this
knowledge and experience.
How to assess people with ice-related problems,
including the following in the assessment process:
 Current and past crystal methamphetamine and other
drug use
 Dependence on crystal methamphetamine and other
drugs
 Physical and psychological health
 Previous crystal methamphetamine withdrawal
 Social factors
 Trauma history
 Readiness to change.
It is recommended that organisations consider this topic as a
valuable addition to existing assessment practices; as it builds on a
worker’s proficiency in dual diagnosis
The counselling and behavioural approaches that can be
used with people with ice-related problems.
Not a high priority topic. Explains how these counselling methods
may be helpful, but MH workers would not use these methods
themselves.
45 mins
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 6 5.5.
Withdrawal management
Gives a good summary of withdrawal processes specific to
Ice, and when medical treatment is required.
15 mins
Relevant topic for all staff – both inexperienced and experienced.
Builds on a worker’s proficiency in dual diagnosis.
This topic covers:
 Signs and symptoms of an Ice “crash” and withdrawal
processes
 Factors that can influence the severity of Ice withdrawal
 Strategies that can assist a person experiencing Ice
withdrawal
5.6.
Relapse prevention and
management
40 mins
5.7.
Groups with specific needs
1.5 hours
Approaches to work with consumers to prevent and
manage relapse. Includes:
 Relapse prevention plan
 Educating consumers about relapse and risks
 Practical and useful strategies for changing negative
thinking and reducing risk of relapse.
Relevant topic for all service delivery workers – both
inexperienced and experienced.
The intervention needs of specific groups of people who
use ice who are:
 Pregnant or breast feeding
 Younger
 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders
 From culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
 Injecting drug users.
 People who need compulsory treatment
 Homeless
Important knowledge for all service delivery workers as it identifies
‘especially customised approaches’ needed for ice users with
specific needs or circumstances.
Builds on a worker’s proficiency in dual diagnosis.
Case study and Video used in 5.7.4 Aboriginal and TSI
Case study in 5.7.7 LGBTI
5.8.
Supporting / working with families
and carers
Strategies to educate, support and enhance the safety of
families adversely affected by a member’s ice use.
Relevant to inexperienced workers.
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 7 40 mins
Touches on the needs of dependent children of adults with
Ice-related problems.
Many experienced mental health workers already have the skills to
engage and work with family and carers of people who use Ice.
Includes suggestions for making a safety plan.
Additional resource:
Uses a case study
‘Breakthrough: ice education for families’, is an educational
program. Workshops delivered across Victoria in 2016.
For more information on the workshops call 1800 ICE ADVICE or
visit www.turningpoint.org.au/education/breakthrough
MODULE 6: PREVENTION
6.1.
Topic
Content
Ice prevention models and
strategies
The primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies
applicable to ice-related harms.
Includes a case study on prevention strategies aimed at the
broader community (a secondary school setting).
Very low priority topic
This unit has a community development focus, and is mostly
outside the role of frontline MH workers.
The range of approaches that can be used to assist a person
using ice to reduce the associated harms (harm reduction
strategies).
Includes a case study on harm reduction advice.
Non-clinical strategies that can be used by service delivery
workers.
2 hours
6.2
Harm reduction strategies
1 hour
Relevance
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 8 MODULE 7: ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSES TO ICE
Topic
7.1
Systems redesign
1 – 1.5 hours
Content
The focus of this topic is to use the knowledge and
understanding of the effects of crystal methamphetamine to
inform the ways services and organisations can best function
to address the needs of people with crystal
methamphetamine problems.
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
7.2
Organisational change
0.5 hours
Most relevant to Supervisors and Managers
Refocussing from depressants to stimulants
Service delivery modifications
Service redesign
Modifying the physical environment
Strategies to support people with cognitive
impairment
Optimising environments for people withdrawing
from ice
The focus of this topic is on ways organisations can best
operate and function to address the needs of people with
crystal methamphetamine problems and the kind of
processes and strategies involved in bringing about
organisational change.
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

Mapping
Most relevant to Supervisors and Managers
Managing organisational change process
Kotter’s model of organisational change
McGrath’s model
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 9 7.3
Workforce development
This topic examines workforce development approaches to
enhance the service provision capacities of workers, teams
and organisations. It focusses on select issues related to:
Most relevant to Supervisors and Managers
< 1 hour
7.4
Stress, compassion fatigue and
burnout
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

Workplace conditions
Organisational and systems factors
Workers’ needs (learning assessment, training)

Types of pressures that workers who support
people with ice-related problems might
experience, and potential outcomes such as stress,
compassion fatigue and burnout
Differences between stress, compassion fatigue
and burnout, their causes and impacts on the
organisation
Organisational strategies to enhance worker
wellbeing and job satisfaction
1 – 1.5 hours


7.5
Workplace and worker support
1.75 hours
This Topic focusses on the responsibility of organisations to
ensure that frontline workers are adequately and
appropriately supported when working with people
experiencing crystal methamphetamine-related problems.
Forms of support:
 Workplace support – social, emotional and
instrumental
 Clinical supervision as distinct from administrative
and managerial supervision
 Mentoring – Formal and informal
Most relevant to Supervisors and Managers
Also relevant to frontline workers who are most likely to be
susceptible to stress, compassion fatigue and burnout
Most relevant to Supervisors and Managers
Mapping Document Implementing Frontline Ice Training in community managed mental health services‐ Project  VICSERV 10