Substance use support for women moving in and out of prison (SUSTain)
We’re delivering alcohol and other drugs transitional care for women leaving prison – codesigned with those who know it best.
There's a long-standing gap between prison health and community care for alcohol and other drugs. Our project aims to address this and make sure women leaving prison in Victoria don’t miss out on important care.
The project is a collaboration between Burnet, Western Health and Flat Out Inc. It's running from November 2025 to August 2030.
We call it ‘Substance use support in transition from prison for women’ or SUSTain.
Women's health and prisons
Women who experience imprisonment have complex needs. Because many services aren’t designed to support them, they often experience poor health and social outcomes.
Prison and community healthcare and services don’t always fit neatly together, leading to poor ‘continuity of care’. The quality and standard of care can also be uneven.
These structural issues lead to health inequity and social disadvantage. That means women who are entering or exiting prison often have unmet health and support needs.
Improving care in Victoria
Co-designing with women with lived experience
We’re working with women who have lived or living experience of incarceration (being confined to prison) and substance dependence.
Together with our partners, we’re co-designing a healthcare model that prioritises their needs. This model includes a transitional care clinic to improve alcohol and other drug care continuity.
Our co-design process focuses on designing a sustainable model of care to meet women’s health and support needs. To do this, we’re recruiting women to take part with qualitative interviews and iterative co-design workshops.
Trialling and evaluating the model
We’re assessing the healthcare model through an 18-month trial period.
We’re recruiting women who do and do not access the transitional care clinic to take part in regular surveys. The data we collect is supplemented by linking health records.
Ongoing record linkage means that we can continue to evaluate success after the trial period ends.
Partners
Funding
Medical Research Future Fund Alcohol and Other Drugs Grant
Collaborators
- Western Health
- Flat Out Inc
Project contact
Project team
Dr Rebecca Winter
Lead investigator
Professor Mark A Stoové
Co-investigator
Professor Paul Dietze
Co-investigator
Dr Jocelyn Chan
Co-investigator
Dr Michael Curtis
Co-investigator
Dr Shelley Walker
Co-investigator
Dr Daisy Gibbs
Co-investigator
Ashleigh Stewart
Co-investigator
Jade Lane
Associate investigator
Amy Kirwan
Associate investigator
Rebekka (Bek) Petrovic
Associate investigator
Dr Louisa Walsh
Associate investigator
Jon Cook
Co-investigator
Western Health
Thileepan Naren
Co-investigator
Western Health
Karen Fletcher
Co-investigator
Flat Out
Nina Storey
Co-investigator
Homes Not Prisons; Women Transforming Justice
Nikita Lotus
Co-investigator
Flat Out Inc
Sarah Larney
Associate investigator
University of Montreal
Dallas Widdicombe
Associate investigator
Bendigo & District Aboriginal Co-operative
Jaydene Burzacott
Associate investigator
Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative
Jacqueline St George
Associate investigator
Western Health
Jane Dicka
Associate investigator
Harm Reduction Victoria
Felicity Chafer-Smith
Associate investigator
The Torch
Rebecca Thatcher
Associate investigator
Salvation Army
Andrea Fischer
Associate investigator
cohealth
Eileen Baldry
Associate investigator
University of New South Wales