A number of resources have been developed for the Commencement of the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017. These will be added to, to assist services and prepare to implement the Act.
On this page:
- Overview and preparation
- Your rights
- District inspectors
- Approved specialists
- Guidelines
- Important message sheets
- Forms
- Practice notes issued by the Chief Family Court Judge
Overview and preparation
Overview of the process (PPTX, 1 MB) - This presentation provides an overview of the necessary steps to be taken to place someone under the Act. Services and staff should be familiar with what is required and this can be used with the checklist to help services prepare for implementation.
Assessing young people under the Act (pptx, 979 KB) - The SACAT makes explicit the rights and protections for any young person that may come under the Act - this presentation outlines the relevant sections.
Approved Treatment Centre (Nova STAR) - information sheet (PDF, 275 KB) - This leaflet provides information on approved treatment centre Nova STAR and the services they provide for people subject to SACAT.
Your rights
See Your rights under the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment Act 2017
Available in English, Māori, Chinese, Samoan and Tongan.
District inspectors
District inspectors provide an important safeguard for people who have concerns about compulsory care or treatment under the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017. They are lawyers who are independent from the Ministry of Health and health and disability services. You can contact a substance addiction district inspector by choosing from the substance addiction district inspectors list attached:
Approved specialists
- List of Approved Specialists designated under section 95 of the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017 (Word, 23 KB)
- List of Approved Specialists designated under section 95 of the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017 (pdf, 142 KB)
Guidelines
The Ministry has published guidance to the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017, outlining the obligations of health professionals and others who are responsible for implementing the Act.
- Introductory Guideline on the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017 (Word, 148 KB)
- Introductory Guideline on the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017 (PDF, 544 KB)
- Guideline on the Role and Function of Directors of Area Addiction Services (Word, 114 KB)
- Guideline on the Role and Function of Directors of Area Addiction Services (PDF, 455 KB)
- Guideline on the Role and Function of Authorised Officers (Word, 115 KB)
- Guideline on the Role and Function of Authorised Officers (PDF, 384 KB)
- Guideline on the Role and Function of Approved Specialists and Responsible Clinicians (Word, 117 KB)
- Guideline on the Role and Function of Approved Specialists and Responsible Clinicians (PDF, 424 KB)
- Guideline on Assessing Capacity to make Decisions about Treatment for Severe Substance Addiction (Word, 660 KB)
- Guideline on Assessing Capacity to make Decisions about Treatment for Severe Substance Addiction (PDF, 667 KB)
- Criteria for Approved Providers (Word, 105 KB)
- Criteria for Approved Providers (PDF, 314 KB)
- Prescribing Guidelines (Word, 178 KB)
- Prescribing Guidelines (PDF, 136 KB)
- Mana Enhancing & Mana Protecting Practice: A practitioner resource developed by Te Rau Matatini to support implementation of the SACAT Act and is referenced in the Ministry guidelines.
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Substance Withdrawal Management: Guidelines for Medical and Nursing Practitioners in Primary Health, Specialist Addiction, Custodial and General Hospital Settings: this document developed by Matua Raki promotes safe care for people who experience substance withdrawal. It for clinicians and practitioners who work with people who are likely to suffer from withdrawal symptoms after cessation of substance use.
Important messages
Important message sheets are 2–3 page sheets for Addiction Treatment Services to download and use, either as is or amended for local purposes, to use with various stakeholders.
- Important message sheet: General enquiries (Word, 23 KB)
- Important message sheet: General Practitioners and Practice Nurses (Word, 93 KB)
- Important message sheet: Family and whānau guide (Word, 26 KB)
- Important message sheet: Coding for SACAT requirements (Word, 44 KB)
Forms
Word format
These forms can be filled out electronically.
- Application for Assessment (Word, 41 KB)
- Medical Certificate Supporting Application for Assessment (Word, 44 KB)
- Memorandum by Authorised Officer (Word, 44 KB)
- Notice to Attend a Specialist Assessment (Word, 43 KB)
- Compulsory Treatment Certificate (Word, 44 KB)
- Detention and Treatment in Treatment Centre (Word, 38 KB)
- Leave of Absence (Word, 43 KB)
- Transfer to another treatment centre (Word, 35 KB)
- Clinical Review of Patient (Word, 43 KB)
- Release from Compulsory Status (Word, 42 KB)
- Designation of Approved Providers (Word, 41 KB)
- Designation of Authorised Officer (Word, 42 KB)
- Designation of Approved Specialist (Word, 46 KB)
- Warrants to Apprehend (Word, 44 KB)
PDF format
These forms can be printed and filled out manually.
- Application for Assessment (PDF, 29 KB)
- Medical Certificate Supporting Application for Assessment (PDF, 33 KB)
- Memorandum by Authorised Officer (PDF, 36 KB)
- Notice to Attend a Specialist Assessment (PDF, 53 KB)
- Compulsory Treatment Certificate (PDF, 35 KB)
- Detention and Treatment in Treatment Centre (PDF, 31 KB)
- Leave of Absence (PDF, 30 KB)
- Transfer to another treatment centre (PDF, 30 KB)
- Clinical Review of Patient (PDF, 32 KB)
- Release from Compulsory Status (PDF, 30 KB)
- Designation of Approved Providers (PDF, 29 KB)
- Designation of Authorised Officer (PDF, 29 KB)
- Designation of Approved Specialist (PDF, 32 KB)
- Warrants to Apprehend (PDF, 36 KB)
Applying to the Court
These documents are available on the Ministry of Justice website:
- Application for review of compulsory status
- Application for extension of a compulsory treatment order
- Application for urgent review of patient’s status