Who we are
We are Insight and Dovetail
Insight and Dovetail are specialist providers of alcohol and other drug training, education, practice advice and resources for workers and services in Queensland.
We are statewide initiatives of Queensland Health, proudly delivered by Metro North Mental Health – Alcohol and Drug Service (Brisbane/Meanjin).
We aim to build a capable, confident and connected alcohol and other drug, mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing workforce.
Our primary audience are specialist alcohol and drug and mental health practitioners across government, non-government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled sectors. We also provide training and support to other health and community service workers who engage with people with substance use concerns, including government, statutory, and private service providers.
Dovetail is the youth-focussed team within Insight. Dovetail provides practice advice and professional support to workers, services and communities across Queensland who engage with young people impacted by alcohol and other drug use.
Whilst Insight and Dovetail support Queensland-based workers, our eLearning modules, webinars, practice tools, and resources are free to access anywhere across Australia.
Our activities:
- Face-to-face and virtual classroom training (Queensland only)
- eLearning modules
- Weekly webinars
- AOD forums, conferences and other professional development events
- One-on-one practice advice and professional support (Queensland only)
- Practice guidelines, tools and other worker resources
- An AOD information clearinghouse.
To view our Insight / Dovetail annual reports, click here.
Our objectives
Provide alcohol and other drug training, education, clinical resources and practice advice for workers and services.
Develop evidence-informed alcohol and drug practice guidelines, tools and resources.
Build partnerships with other departments and service providers to implement initiatives that improve outcomes for our shared clients.
Our vision
A workforce that makes a real and sustained positive difference in the lives of people impacted by alcohol and drug use, mental health and suicide.
Values
- Respect
- Teamwork
- Compassion
- High Performance
- Integrity
Principles
- Innovation
- Accessibility
- Cultural Safety
- Value for Money
- Accountability
Our team
Our multidisciplinary team comprises Nurses, Psychologists, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and AOD Lived Experience Educators, supported by our Administration and Multimedia Design Teams.
Our Insight First Nations Educators specialise in building the cultural and practice capabilities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous workers through the provision of culturally-safe alcohol and drug education, resources, connection and support.
Our history
Insight and Dovetail are Queensland Health programs hosted by Metro North Mental Health – Alcohol and Drug Service, Metro North Health.
Insight was first established in the mid-1980s as the ‘Alcohol and Drug Training and Resource Unit’ (ADTRU). ADTRU served as the training arm of the Biala City Community Health Centre when it was an inpatient hospital and detoxification unit and later an outpatient treatment centre.
Over its 40-year history ADTRU functions expanded beyond training to include a library and a small research centre, birthing several significant projects and initiatives including SmokeCheck, the ATODS Clinical Supervision Project and the Indigenous Risk Impact Screen (IRIS).
Dovetail was established in 2010 by Queensland Health in response to increased methamphetamine use across the state.
It was initially set-up and governed by a Consortium of 14 government and non-government agencies as a training, practice and workforce development unit to support both newly funded youth AOD programs across Queensland, alongside existing services and departments that worked with or provided support to young people affected by substance use. Within the Consortium, Metro North Mental Health - Alcohol and Drug Service was identified as the lead agent and auspice body.
Following an external review in 2012, Dovetail’s funding was made recurrent, and the Consortium was disbanded.
In 2013, ADTRU changed its name to ‘Insight Clinical Support Services’, merging with ‘Dovetail’ shortly thereafter.
In 2015 the whole unit rebranded as ‘Insight: Centre for Alcohol and Other Drug Training and Workforce Development’.
