How we demonstrate our commitment

Respecting and supporting diversity and inclusion

The Salvation Army is committed to providing services that are inclusive and welcoming to all people — regardless of age, culture, ability, language spoken, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and intersex status.

We are committed to supporting all participants with accessing our alcohol and other drugs (AOD) services in ways that are culturally safe. Participants will be supported to access services in a sensitive, affirming manner and decide where they feel most safe and comfortable in the service. The Salvation Army is committed to continually reviewing and improving our AOD services to minimise or remove any barriers to access.

Intersectionality in our alcohol and other drugs services

Intersectionality is a term to describe the way different aspects of a person’s identity can expose them to multiple levels and layers of discrimination and marginalisation. Human experiences cannot be accurately understood by a single factor related to a person’s identity. Aspects of identity include gender, ethnicity and cultural background, language, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age, geographic location or visa status, among others.

Any of these identities may create barriers to services, increase the risk of social isolation and exacerbate social and economic disadvantage. When multiple, overlapping aspects are present, barriers are amplified. The Salvation Army is committed to empowering people — especially those who experience intersectionality — to help minimise these barriers to accessing alcohol and other drugs treatment. We do this by providing person-led and accessible services in inclusive, non-discriminatory environments.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

We know that culture is central to a person’s identity and sense of belonging. Our practices ensure cultural rights, values, beliefs and expectations are respected. We are committed to delivering culturally safe alcohol and other drugs services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have different cultural and support needs depending on their location.

We have positive working relationships with local community groups, and we understand the need to be well-informed by local knowledge. We endeavour to continue to strengthen relationships and partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and community supports to holistically address the care needs of this group. We respond to specialist knowledge to improve access to our services.

Culturally and linguistically diverse communities

Alcohol and other drugs services work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. People of diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds vary in risk factors, patterns, rates and consequences of alcohol and other drugs use and may also vary in how they respond to alcohol and other drugs treatment.

Strong evidence shows that culturally responsive treatments lead to significantly larger reductions in post-treatment alcohol and other drugs use compared to programs where culture was not considered. People from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, particularly those newly arrived, may be unfamiliar with health services in Australia. Our services understand this. These participants can expect that the service options available will be explained, and that staff will describe the interventions we use and how and why they work. We discuss intake and assessment processes as well as topics like wait times for programs.

Services use interpreters where required. This is preferable to relying on family members, particularly where confidential or sensitive issues are being discussed or where there are risk concerns. Our alcohol and other drug services recognise the importance of building and maintaining relationships with local cultural community groups and service providers. We continue to recognise the inherent cultural barriers in services and seek opportunities to overcome them.

LGBTIQA+ communities

The Salvation Army is committed to supporting all participants with accessing our services in culturally safe ways. Our services are sensitive to, and inclusive of the needs of, LGBTIQA+ people. We are committed to making sure our services are safe and welcoming spaces enabling LGBTIQA+ people to thrive. For all services, especially those historically segregated by way of gender, participants who identify as LGBTIQA+ will be supported to access services in a sensitive, affirming manner and decide where they feel most safe and comfortable in the service. The Salvation Army Alcohol and Other Drug Services commit to regularly reviewing our services and minimising and removing any barriers individuals face with accessing alcohol and other drug counselling or treatment.

We demonstrate this commitment through:

• Maintaining confidentiality and not disclosing a person’s gender identity, sexual orientation or intersex status without consent
• Respecting people’s genders by using identified names and pronouns
• Developing and maintaining relationships with LGBTIQA+ specialist services
• Facilitating LGBTIQA+ training for our staff to ensure our services are inclusive
• Ensuring local services have procedures and practice guidance to implement LGBTIQA+ inclusive alcohol and other drugs services

People living with a disability

Our services ensure people living with a disability can participate fully in all programs and services. We focus on abilities and value the unique talents, skills and potential of every person.

We demonstrate this commitment through:

• Delivering services and programs that are designed in such a way that any person living with a disability can participate in all programs and activities
• Ensuring our physical and social environments are accessible and safe
• Ensuring people with disability have the same opportunities as other people to access services and events
• Ensuring people with disability have the same opportunities as other people to access buildings and other facilities
• Ensuring people with disability receive information from our services in a format that will enable them to access the information as readily as other people are able to access it
• Ensuring people with disability receive the same level and quality of service from all Salvation Army staff
• Ensuring people with disability have the same opportunities as other people to make complaints to The Salvation Army
• Ensuring people with disability have the same opportunities as other people to participate in all public consultation by The Salvation Army

Each state has developed and works to a Disability Action and Inclusion Plan:

• ACT NSW DAIP 2023-27.pdf
• VIC DAIP 2023-27.pdf
• SA DAIP 2023-27.pdf
• QLD DAIP 2023-27.pdf
• NT DAIP 2023-27.pdf
• TAS DAIP 2023-27.pdf