Scottish Recovery Network Logo
News Banner
Home News News Archive 2010 Reflecting on the Scottish experience: the development of peer support worker roles

Reflecting on the Scottish experience: the development of peer support worker roles

 PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 20 September 2010
A recent article, entitled 'Developing peer support worker roles: reflecting on experiences in Scotland', published in the August edition of Mental Health and Social Inclusion, draws on the findings from the evaluation of the Peer Support Worker Pilot Scheme to highlight the development of peer support roles and programmes in Scotland.

The evaluation assessed the impact of the pilot on service users, peer support workers and the wider system, and considered the issues involved in implementing peer support programmes. The article highlights key findings from the evaluations, such as:
  • Peer support can be successfully implemented in a wide range of settings.
  • Wider service system staff were mostly very positive and appreciative of the role.
  • Peers were widely perceived to be helping bridge the gap between ‘us’ and ‘them’.
  • Benefits reported by people using peer services included being encouraged to take more control of their own recovery and learning new self-management skills.
  • Becoming a peer support worker was both challenging and rewarding and for many it marked a significant point in their own recovery journey.
  • Peer support workers did require support and supervision from the team they worked with, particularly during the period of setting up the role and integrating into the team.
As mentioned in the article, SRN continues to support the development of peer support in Scotland by hosting learning events, developing implementation guidelines and offering pointers and suggestions to those interested in the creation of peer roles.

SRN are also working with SQA to develop a new nationally recognised award for the next generation of peer workers. This validated award is split into two units, one theoretical and one practical, and will be delivered by people with lived experience of mental health issues. Learning materials to supplement the awards are currently in development. More details about this award are available in the article.

You can download the article here:
icon Developing peer support worker roles: reflecting on experiences in Scotland (134.77 kB)

Thanks to permission from the journal of Mental Health and Social Inclusion we are able to share this article at no costs with Network members.

For more information about Peer Support and the ongoing developments in Scotland please visit the Peer Support section of our website.

'Developing peer support woker roles: reflecting on experiences in Scotland' was First published in Mental Health and Social Inclusion Volume 14 Issue 3, August 2010.
 
NEWS
New SRN research explores the experience of recovery over time
16
May

Since the first discussions about bringing recovery based approaches to Scotland began, one thing has always been clear: that people's personal narratives - the stories and experiences they share - are central to understanding and encouraging mental health recovery.

 
Black women, recovery and resilience
16
May

In a specially commissioned article for SRN, researcher and psychiatric survivor Dr Jayasree Kalathil explores the issues of recovery and resilience from the perspective of black women interviewed for a 2011 study by Survivor Research and the Mental Health Foundation. While the article focuses on recent data from England, there are important lessons to be learnt everywhere, including Scotland.

 
What mental health practitioners talk about, when they talk about SRI 2
16
May

Having recently facilitated Learning Networks on the use of the updated Scottish Recovery Indicator (SRI 2), SRN’s John McCormack was keen to hear from practitioners about their use of the tool and how it affects practice in the field. Here John shares his discussions with Lindsay Kerr and Jan Thomson who both work in NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s Mental Health Services.