The Department of Education has developed the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) education program. External experts within the alcohol and other drugs education field were consulted during the developmental process to provide research and best-practice educational approaches.
The AOD education program uses a harm-minimisation approach to support young Queenslanders to develop a greater awareness and understanding of the impacts of alcohol and other drug use; their capacity to make responsible, safe and informed decisions; and their ability to effectively manage challenging situations.
The program is informed by the department's
drug education and intervention advice and supports the
Learning and Wellbeing Framework.
Alcohol and other drugs as part of health and wellbeing education
Queensland state schools are required to provide health and wellbeing education, either as part of the delivery of the Australian Curriculum and a whole school approach to learning and wellbeing. The
K–12 curriculum, assessment and reporting framework specifies the curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements for all Queensland state schools.
Specialised resources for schools and teachers include program guidelines, teaching overviews and resources for each band of years.
The teaching resources are available online to state schools via the
Curriculum Gateway and for non-state schools via
Scootle.
What students learn
The Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) education program for Years 7 to 12 forms part of the Queensland Government’s commitment to improving mental health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders, and preventing and reducing problematic use of alcohol and other drugs.
This education program supports secondary school students in developing the knowledge and skills they need to reduce the harms of alcohol and drugs to themselves and others. This is achieved through integrating a focus on mental health and wellbeing education, and other core elements of effective universal school-based alcohol and drug prevention programs.