Evaluation of Consumer Participation Demonstration Projects in Five Australian Drug User Treatment Facilities: The Impact of Individual Versus Organizational Stability in Determining Project Progress.

This project evaluated consumer participation projects in five drug user treatment services in metropolitan and regional areas in three Australian states. Qualitative interviews were conducted with staff and consumers at two time points between 2008 from 2010 ( n == 108). At baseline staff and some consumers focused on the stability of consumers to undertake representative roles. At postimplementation, the focus was on the stability of the organization, as frequent staffing changes and lack of adequate handover affected the progress of the projects. These issues combined with the perceived ''noncore'' status of consumer participation resulted in none of the projects achieving all of their agreed goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]