Between 17-19 November, ISSUP attended CCSA’s Issues of Substance flagship event of the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), an organisation that addresses issues related to substance use and addiction that affect the health and safety of Canadians.
Over the 3 days, 941 people attended the event, attracting a variety of people across Canada. It is Canada’s only national conference, bringing together addiction workers, healthcare professionals, researchers, policy makers, knowledge brokers, and people with direct or indirect, lived or living experience with substance use or a substance use disorders from across the country.
On Day 3 of the conference, Kirsty Fitzpatrick, National Chapters Coordinator for ISSUP delivered a presentation on ‘Strengthening the Global Substance Use Workforce: The Role of ISSUP National Chapters’. This provided an opportunity to showcase ISSUP’s global efforts in developing a well-informed, skilled and ethical substance use workforce.
The session also explained how ISSUP’s National Chapters contribute to strengthening national responses to substance use disorder challenges. Drawing on examples from active Chapters globally, ISSUP highlighted practical approaches to training delivery, stakeholder coordination, and localised implementation of evidence-informed substance use workforce practices. The broader benefits of operating as a National Chapter, such as alignment with government strategies, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and bridging international research and practice, was also discussed.
This served as a great opportunity to meet some of the CCSA leadership team, network with peers and learn more about the substance use workforce across Canada, and ISSUP look forward to strengthening our partnership with CCSA in the future.
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