Commitment 2
"We will have in place a training programme for peer support workers by 2008 with peer support workers being employed in three board areas later that year."
Peer Support Workers are trained members of the staff team with personal experience of mental illness. They bring a unique perspective and set of skills to working with service users. Peer Support workers also help address misconceptions and prejudices about people with a diagnosis of mental illness and inform 'professional' thinking around mental health services design and delivery.
February 2007 Conference
The Mental Health Peer Support Worker Conference (Feb, 2007) examined the issues around the training, selection, barriers, opportunities and employment of Peer Support Workers. Following this event we sought interest from Boards who wanted to employ peer support workers ( PSW). Grampian (Aberdeenshire), Forth Valley, Tayside, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Lothian all offered a range of posts. The setting for these posts ranged from acute inpatient services, and rehabilitation, through intensive home treatment, CMHTs, to community services and a user led project.
All areas were offered Wellness, Recovery Action Plan ( WRAP) training for a total of 45 individuals with lived experience interested in becoming peer support workers. The areas then selected candidates from the individuals who had undertaken the WRAP training to go on a two week PSW training run by Recovery Inc. Areas will then recruit for their PSW posts (NB One area appointed before the training course).
The Scottish Government also commissioned a two day PSWs Supervisor's course for managers in the above areas.
Next Steps
- The national steering group will be considering how to develop individuals able to deliver PSW training in Scotland.
- Further WRAP training is being made available across Scotland through SRN.
- A PSW graduate network is being developed.
- An evaluation of the peer support worker pilot is in the process of being awarded by competitive tendering. It will take 12 months to complete.
- A national event will be organised in late Spring/early Summer 2009 to share the learning from the pilots and the evaluation.
For further information contact Linda Ried ( Linda.Reid@scotland.gsi.gov.uk) or Simon Bradstreet ( simon.bradstreet@scottishrecovery.net) and see the SRN website.