How to Design a Peer Support Service Workshop

Peer support can be a hugely effective intervention for people going through complicated life circumstances. Being able to receive empathetic support from people who have been through similar situations can reduce feelings of isolation and not being understood. It can also help people improve their knowledge, confidence, and ability to take control of their situation by learning from the experiences of others who have overcome, or who may still be struggling with, the obstacles and barriers they are facing.

We at The Peer Partnership are working to spread the adoption of peer support by designing, developing, and implementing peer support programmes and supporting other organisations to do the same.

Aims

How To Design a Peer Support Service outlines how to consider, plan, and troubleshoot the introduction of peer support programmes.

Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

Have a better understanding of peer support and the different forms it can take.
Recognise what skills and knowledge peer workers require to undertake the role.
Be prepared for the consideration and risks of implementing peer support.
Have confidence in the stages of developing a peer support programme.

Our workshop includes:

What peer support is – Covering definitions of peer support, different forms of peer support, qualities of peer volunteers, and limitations of peer services.
Organisational considerations – Covering coordination, recruitment, promotion, development, and evaluation of peer services.
Action planning – Writing an initial action plan for how you are going to proceed including: purpose of service, model of support, and inputs and outputs.
Risk assessments and contingencies.

Who is it for?

This workshop is for voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations across the UK. Participants will not require any prior knowledge of peer support to participate. There will be a maximum of 15 participants per workshop.

If you would like to arrange a workshop in your area, or have any questions about our training or services, please contact us on info@peerpartnership.org.