ASPIRE: Addiction Support Programme for Inclusion, Recovery and Empowerment
ASPIRE is a three-year programme, conceived and designed in partnership with NCSS, that brings 10 social service agencies together to make help for behavioural addictions easier to reach.
About ASPIRE
Behavioural addictions, such as excessive gaming, pornography consumption and problematic cyber or social media use, are a growing concern. To respond, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) has brought together 10 social service agencies in a three-year initiative to ensure that help is available in the community.
Why it's needed
Social service agencies under NCSS saw more than 780 new cases of behavioural addiction in 2024. That represents a 50 per cent rise from the over 520 new cases in 2020. NCSS has identified behavioural addiction support as a critical area that needs addressing. In its research, NCSS found that people often delay seeking help, and that emerging technologies are making addictions more complex.
How ASPIRE works
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Ten agencies, one network. WE CARE Community Services is joined by nine other agencies, so there are more places that the community can turn to for support.
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Early intervention. NCSS worked with WE CARE to train the partner agencies in addiction counselling. At least four counsellors at each agency can assess if a person has a behavioural addiction, refer them to the right support, and work with clients on recognising triggers and coping.
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Specialist support. With two decades of experience in managing addictions, WE CARE will handle the more complex cases.
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Community of Practice. NCSS will set up a Community of Practice where the agencies share cases and experiences and learn from one another.
Building the sector's capability
WE CARE's Clinical Director has led a series of three-day workshops for partner agencies, providing practitioners the foundations of addiction counselling.
Consultation sessions for training attendees
Practitioners who attend the training can book consultation sessions with WE CARE. These run twice a week and give guidance on more complex cases. WE CARE also conducts case conferences for shared learning.
