| Want to ensure recovery focused peer support working? |
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| Tuesday, 20 September 2011 |
SRN have developed a set of implementation guidelines to support the development of Peer Worker roles in the mental health sector. Developing any new worker role is a challenging prospect. This is perhaps even more the case when one element of the job involves sharing your personal experiences to inspire hope and recovery as in the case of developing peer worker roles. Peer workers are people with experiences of mental health problems who are trained and employed to work in partnership with others to support recovery. They are increasingly recognised as a key element of a recovery focused service system, bringing as they do unique knowledge and insights and an ability to develop mutually empowering relationships. SRN have been encouraging the development of peer workers roles in Scotland since 2005 when we ran a conference that introduced the role leading eventually to a number of developments including the piloting of the role in five Health Board areas. The independent evaluation of these pilots reported on the benefits of peer role development but also highlighted a number of challenges, recommending the development of guidance for services interested in creating peer roles. The Experts by Experience guidelines have been informed by this evaluation, by the experience of peer workers and employers in Scotland and by wider international experience. They have been developed in a way that encourages anyone thinking about developing peer roles to follow a four step process underpinned by an awareness of the values base of recovery focused peer support working. Our aim in sharing these guidelines is to encourage anyone with an interest in developing peer roles to carefully consider all of the implications from examining initial motivation, through recruitment processes and supporting peer workers to sustaining and developing roles. The guidelines are available as an editable PDF file that allows you to add your thoughts and comments. We also have a number of printed copies of the guidelines available on request for those seeking to develop peer roles. The guidelines are dedicated to the memory of Laurence Wilson who had a passion for developing peer worker roles.
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Its nice to learn about what has been burning my heart. I have a passion to help my peers because I have successfully and positively lived with Anxiety neurosis which I got in 1976. Talk therapy is grossly missing in Uganda. Psychiatry is highly medicalized but a ray of hope has come through Heartsounds Uganda linked to NHS in East London and we are just at infancy developing the peer support model the Ugandan version.
Best Regards,
DANIEL MWESIGWA IGA
Chairman HSU