NADA, on behalf of its members, has advocated for the inclusion of Gender and Sexuality Diverse data fields in alcohol and other drugs (AOD) client data since 2016. Collecting this information will improve outcomes for those who identify as Gender and Sexuality Diverse. As such, we are pleased to inform that the new and updated data fields from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will be included in NADAbase from 1 July, 2022. NADA will be supporting members to provide this data.
NADA appreciates that making changes has a big impact on our members IT systems. We don’t make decisions to implement changes lightly, and any updates to NADAbase are made to inform holistic practice, enhance service delivery, and reflect the people accessing services. We do continue to be guided by the ABS in regard to best practice for data collection. As announced at the recent NADA Data Forum, the standard for questions regarding Sex/Gender and Sexuality have been updated by the ABS in 2020 (link here). This 2020 standard updates the existing Sex and Gender questions, as well as introduces new questions on Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation. The 2020 standard has expanded on the previous version to acknowledge all forms or Sex/Gender and Sexuality expressions.
After 1 July, 2022 the updated ABS questions will be incorporated into the NADAbase reports and mapped to the current NSW MDS and Commonwealth (NMDS) data fields for reporting purposes. All those importing data into NADAbase are advised to add and update these fields in their organisations client management systems as soon as feasible to accurately represent the clients you support. If your client management systems are unable to be updated by July 1st, 2022 to incorporate these new questions your current data fields will continue to be reflected in the new NADAbase, excluding the additional fields.
NADA will continue to work with the Department of Health and the NSW Ministry of Health to ensure that these new data fields are integrated as seamlessly as possible into your normal data reporting systems. NADA will be hosting a webinar in July and has developed an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and an updated NADAbase data dictionary to further support the updates made.
Webinar: Improving service provision for Gender and Sexuality Diverse populations
NADAbase Gender and Sexuality Diverse updates FAQs [PDF]
NADAbase data dictionary (June 2022 release) [PDF]
If you have any concerns or queries related to NMDS/MDS data and the Sex/Gender and Sexuality questions, please do not hesitate to contact NADAbase support.
