These grants support NGOs and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to deliver specialist alcohol and other drug counselling, case management and support services for people exiting custody who are at risk of AOD-related harm.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $2,000,000
- Application opened: 3 April 2023
- Application closed: 29 May 2023, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The NSW Ministry of Health is seeking grant applications from multiple non- government organisations (NGOs) and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) to deliver specialist alcohol and other drug (AOD) counselling, case management and support services for people exiting custody who are at risk of AOD-related harm.
This is one of a suite of health initiatives that respond to the SCI recommendations. Grants will be awarded for an initial four-year period.
The Post-Custodial Support Grants aim to address the significant unmet need for support for people leaving custody who have a history of harmful AOD use. The Grants seek to improve this cohort's access to support services and high quality treatment to improve their health and wellbeing.
The main grant objectives include:
- increasing client health and wellbeing and reducing risk of harms from AOD
- increasing access to health and social services in the community including those associated with cultural and social determinants of health (housing, employment, training, welfare support, connection to country and community)
- improving access to post-custodial support for people at risk of harmful AOD use across NSW, including in rural and regional areas
- increasing access to AOD support services provided by peer workers
- reducing the risk of suicide and overdose and decreased offending behaviour
- reducing family, community and societal costs associated with harmful AOD use and reoffending in the post-release period.
This program is funded and administered by NSW Health.
Eligibility
The Grant opportunity has two separate streams
The two streams are as follows:
Stream 1: Registered Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) are invited to apply for grants of up to $300,000 per organisation per annum (with a maximum total allocation for this stream of $600,000 per annum).
Stream 2: NGOs and ACCOs are invited to apply for larger grants of $300,001 to $1 million per organisation per annum.
Total funding will not exceed $2 million per annum.
Individual ACCOs may submit applications to both streams, however only one grant will be awarded to any organisation. If applying to both streams please indicate a preference.
Stream 1: Organisations applying for Stream 1 must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- An Aboriginal community-controlled organisation, defined as follows:
- Incorporated under relevant legislation (eg Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006)
- Controlled and operated by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
- Connected to the community, or communities, in which they deliver the services
- Governed by a majority Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander governing body.
- Accredited against NSW Health approved accreditation standards for organisations delivering AOD treatment services (or working towards this).
Stream 2: Organisations applying for Stream 2 must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Not-for profit entity incorporated under any of the following:
- Associations Incorporation Act 2009 (NSW)
- Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
- Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
- Other Australian legislation
- Hold current accreditation against the NSW Health approved accreditation standards for organisations delivering AOD treatment services (or working towards this).
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
Applicants must submit the following documentation:
Stream 1:
- Schedule A. Organisation Applicant Details
- Schedule B. Response to Standard Requirements
- Schedule C1. Response to Stream 1 Post-Custodial Support Grant Requirements
- Letter of in principle support from Justice Health NSW (Drug and Alcohol Services - Release Planning) and/or relevant private correctional centre health services if proposing to provide services to individuals in Parklea, Clarence or Junee correctional centres.
Stream 2:
- Schedule A. Organisation Applicant Details
- Schedule B. Response to Standard Requirements
- Schedule C2. Response to Stream 2 Post-Custodial Support Grant Requirements
- Schedule D. Proposed Grant Budget
- Schedule E. Service Implementation Plan
- Schedule F. Service Staffing Plan
- Letter of in principle support from Justice Health NSW (Drug and Alcohol Services - Release Planning) and/or relevant private correctional centre health services if proposing to provide services to individuals in Parklea, Clarence or Junee correctional centres.
These schedule documents* are all available to download on the NSW Health Ice Inquiry health response webpage.
Go to the 'Step 2. Prepare the application' subheading under the 'Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Post-Custodial Support Grants' heading to locate them.
*There is no template for the letter to Justice Health NSW and/or private correctional centres.
You can download and read:
File
AOD NGO Service Specification Guidelines (PDF 397.51KB)File
Clinical Care Standards: Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment (PDF 473.7KB)
You can read the guidelines in full:
File
Post-Custodial Support Grants guidelines (PDF 860.27KB)File
Post Custodial Grant Guidelines - Appendix A (DOC 449.5KB)File
NSW Health Grant Agreement (PDF 231.45KB)
Address the assessment criteria
Criteria to address include:
- evidence of experience in providing services for the target population and demonstrated understanding of the complex needs of this cohort
- a well-developed, evidence-based model of care
- demonstrated track record of treatment and/or support for people at risk of AOD-related harm
- clear articulation of clinical governance framework
- perspectives of people with a lived experience of AOD and/or criminal justice system clearly incorporated into the program design and delivery
- staffing mix appropriate to meet the needs of the client group and provide leadership to team members
- a description of supports for, and collaboration with, clients’ family/carers/significant others
- Aboriginal Health Impact Statement and commitment to workplace cultural safety
- demonstrated evidence of ability to collaborate with custodial health services, local health and community services, including Local Health Districts/Specialty Health Networks and local Aboriginal Community Controlled Services.
Prepare your application
- Read all available information about the Post-Custodial Support Grants, including the Question-and-Answer Information which will be updated during the grant application period, before submitting grant applications.
- Attend and view the Post-Custodial Support Grants Briefing Sessions before submitting grant applications.
- Seek support to prepare grant applications if needed; this may include referring to grant application resources and toolkits, speaking with your peak body, or partnering with other organisations and agencies.
- Complete all required components of the application, including:
- Organisation Applicant Details
- Response to Standard Requirements
- Response to Specific Post-Custodial Support Grant Requirements (Stream 1 or Stream 2)
- For Stream 2: Proposed Grant Budget, Service Implementation Plan, Service Staffing Plan.
- Applications must be submitted to the COAD via email to MOH-CAOD-SCI@health.nsw.gov.au by application closing date. Please use the subject heading in your application email: Submission – Post-Custodial Support Grants.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Executive Director, Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs, NSW Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health will provide confirmation of each received application via return email to the applying organisation.
Organisations that do not receive confirmation of receipt of application are to consider the application incomplete and are responsible for contacting the Ministry of Health.
The applications will be assessed and both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.
Support and contact
Please send all enquiries about the grant and/or the application process to MOH-CAOD-SCI@health.nsw.gov.au.
Enquiries will be responded to at scheduled grant opportunity briefing sessions and through public question and answer documents.
More information can be found on the NSW Health Ice Inquiry health response webpage.
Grant briefing session
Grant briefing sessions are now complete with recordings of the sessions, copy of the presentation and question and answers available on the NSW Health Ice Inquiry health response webpage.
We are required to provide all grant applicants with the same information, with the same timely access to that information. To meet these requirements, we will post question and answer updates to the NSW Health Ice Inquiry health response webpage at least weekly - please continue to check that webpage to ensure you remain updated on information. Please note that we are unable to provide verbal responses to questions.
Please send through your questions in writing to moh-caod-sci@health.nsw.gov.au.
- Last date for submitting questions: 5pm, 19 May 2023
- Last posting of answers to questions: by 5pm, 22 May 2023
The Ice Inquiry health response webpage provides information about initiatives led by NSW Health in implementing the NSW Government Response to the Ice Inquiry.