The Community Portal on the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre has recently been updated to better meet the information needs of Elders and community members working to reduce harms from alcohol and other drug (AOD) use in their communities.

The redevelopment of the Community Portal was guided by focus groups in Perth and Adelaide as well as feedback from a national user survey which found that people wanted to see a web resource that was strength-based, easy to use, and had a more visual format.

The portal has refreshed its content with a focus on strength-based resources, information on healing and trauma and up front, factual information on mental health and addiction.

The collection of health promotion resources for each topic has a visual format which is easy to use and navigate.

The refreshed portal also now features the artwork of Aboriginal artist Melanie Robinson with a vibrant piece about families coming together on the land (pictured above).

Family, friends and community members are often the first to respond to people who may be in crisis or distressed. The expanded content on the Community Portal includes more information on events, courses, funding and programs to support community members who may be seeking training, resources, or services to address AOD issues in their community.

A short webinar has been recorded to provide an overview of the process and results to update the Community Portal.

It also describes the changes that have been made based on the feedback we received from stakeholders.

This is followed by a tour of the Community Portal, including information on:

• the new subsections, including Healing
• how to navigate around the portal
• the new search and filter features
• factsheets subsection.

The webinar can be viewed here.The AOD Knowledge Centre would like to acknowledge and thank the community members and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander AOD workers from Whadjuk Country (Perth) and Kaurna Country (Adelaide) who participated in the focus groups and those who responded to the user survey for their ideas and advice on the redevelopment of the Community Portal.

Find out more, visit the Community Portal on the AOD Knowledge Centre