Why we're here

Since our early days on Smith Street in Melbourne’s inner North in the early 90s, Turning Point has spent the past two decades working on the front line to address the multiple health and social harms caused by addiction. 

Today, we are Australia’s leading provider of treatment, training and clinical research in the field of addiction. We are proud of the clinical services we offer in Victoria, but recognise there are still parts of our community that are missing out. 

We know that there are many barriers to seeking help, including stigma, geography and access. Our tele-health services allow us to overcome many of these barriers, providing early intervention and 24/7 support to individuals, families and health care providers across Australia. 

Identifying where help needs to be directed and improved, our health surveillance and research arms inform governments and the health system how to improve current responses to overdose, self-harm, violence and suicide, as well as develop cutting edge interventions. 

We understand that our work is closely intertwined with presentations related to trauma, mental health and social disconnection, highlighting the need for partnership across sectors. As we learn, we teach, allowing us to offer comprehensive training to families, health practitioners and other industries. 

The more we can build a system that understands the journey into and out of addiction, as well as its impact across the community, the more effectively our health care practitioners can respond to the needs of those who have chosen, almost always unwittingly, to seek solutions for themselves.