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Peer and professional support are important for women in prison to help them tackle a range of issues including self-harm. To date, research has not explored in any depth how women experience peer support provided in prison to help them manage their self-harm including peer support provided through the Listeners Scheme. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This was a case study in one women’s prison employing mixed, qualitative methods. These included a questionnaire distributed to women and staff, a focus group with prison listeners, semi-structured interviews with women who self-harmed and semi-structured interviews with prison staff, together with a series of observations in the prison site.

While women in prison welcomed both professional and peer support their support preferences were influenced by how serious women considered their self-harm to be and the degree to which they regarded their relationships with staff as trusting and/or supportive. The therapeutic community (TC) that operated in the prison facilitated different relationships between women who self-harmed in prison and staff, than have hitherto been reported in the research literature. These relationships described by women and staff as “more open” allowed women to seek staff support when managing their self-harm behaviours. Women sought peer support from listeners in addition to staff support particularly at times when staff were unavailable for example at evenings and weekends.

The case study design was conducted in one women’s prison which operated a TC. The principles of the TC that operated in the prison are supported by the wider literature on TCs as conducive to good mental health. Findings are thus relevant for establishments with TCs .

Women opted for support from staff for helping them to manage their severe self-harm, over and above the peer support available through the prison Listener Scheme. This finding contrasts with previous research that suggests women trying to manage their self-harm in prison prioritise support from their peers because staff are often found to harbour unhelpful attitudes to women’s self-harm that makes seeking support difficult.

Eliciting client narratives and creating community-informed interventions have been effective methods of engaging those who are unstably housed in care. Previous studies have shown that these approaches foster client empowerment and provide insight as to the importance of creating community-driven solutions. However, few studies report the impact of these methods on homeless people living with HIV. The purpose of this paper is to describe methods used to engage consumers in sharing their stories, including formative focus groups, qualitative interviews, and feedback from peer staff.

Data for the case study were derived from program notes, board minutes, and feedback from founding board members of The Open Door. Two researchers who were involved with the program from its inception reviewed these data and then developed a schematic of the methods used to develop and inform the program itself. The authors determined that three methods were used to elicit client and community narratives to inform program decisions. These include a formative focus group that helped to structure and implement the program in its earliest stages; qualitative interviews, which helped to pinpoint effective program components and enabled the rapid expansion of the service delivery model; and feedback from peer staff, which has consistently allowed for the refinement and prioritization of services. Data were collected for the purposes of program development and improvement but since qualitative interviews were conducted by faculty affiliated with an academic institution, the institutional review board of that institution was consulted and the qualitative interviews were determined to be exempt from review.

The focus group informed the authors that they wanted to live in their own apartments but have on-site supports. They also indicated that traditional housing program rules such as abstinence were too restrictive for them to navigate. In the qualitative interviews, the clients reported an increased sense of community with peers and peer staff members, which helped to reduce stigma. Second, residents reported that supportive services helped them to connect to and maintain in HIV clinical care. Third, residents reported that the representative payee services were a key factor in helping them improve housing and financial stability.

There are a number of limitations to this case study that demand the need for caution in interpreting results. Although the authors used several different methods to elicit client narratives and community feedback, sample sizes were small, control groups were not utilized, and data were specific to individuals receiving services through one housing program. Thus, results are not generalizable. In addition, the methods reported herein mix those conducted for the purposes of research (in-depth qualitative interviews) with others conducted specifically to inform program delivery and improvement (focus group and peer staff feedback). Thus, rigor is not equally applied across all methods. In addition, the individuals conducting research and authoring this paper were directly involved with the creation of the program and ongoing service delivery. Therefore, interviewer and reporting bias also present threats to validity.

There are many strengths involved in utilizing the narrative feedback of the residents and peer staff to inform the practice. One is that this method is an incredibly cost-efficient way to assess client and program needs to inform intervention development and improvement. The results are also very transparent and easily translatable to the agency’s everyday work. These methods are practical in both their approach to clients and their ability to be easily incorporated into the daily work of clients and staff. These methods allow for rapid application as results are immediate and feedback can be implemented quickly.

When seeking client and staff feedback, it is important to be cognizant of believing the client and recognizing that all people have their own personal perspectives, including their own version of the “truth.” Eliciting this type of feedback puts individuals in a vulnerable place, so it is critical to guarantee their safety. All information solicited must be regarded in a positive light to inform improved service delivery and not as a means to receive information that “tells on” clients or peer staff. Feedback should be reviewed as an opportunity for learning and not as a mechanism for retaliation.

The clients and staff have been significantly marginalized in the society. It is possible that having providers be kind and respectful to them and asking for their opinions is a very new experience which might make them feel grateful and more likely to be favorable in their responses. Clients may feel loyal to the program and be much more likely to speak of it positively. Regardless of these potential biases, the quantitative results of improved health outcomes published elsewhere indicate that the clients may not just be being nice, but may in fact be receiving interventions that are working.

The purpose of this study was to identify and understand the barriers and enablers to the implementation of youth peer support in a clinical mental health service. The development of a lived experience workforce in mental health is a key component of policy at both the state and the federal level in Australia. Implementing a peer workforce within existing clinical services, however, can be a challenging task. Furthermore, implementing peer support in a youth mental health setting involves a further degree of complexity, involving a degree of care for young people being invited to provide peer support when they may be still early in their own recovery journey.

This paper reports on a formative evaluation of the beginning stages of implementation of a youth peer workforce within an existing clinical mental health service in Melbourne.

The project found that it was feasible and beneficial to implement youth peer support; however, significant challenges remain, including lack of appropriate training for young people, uncertainty amongst clinical staff about the boundaries of the peer role and the potential for “tokenism” in the face of slow cultural change across the whole service.

Very little evaluation has yet been undertaken into the effectiveness of implementing peer support in youth mental health services. This paper offers an opportunity to investigate where services may need to identify strengths and address difficulties when undertaking future implementation efforts.

The purpose of this paper is to share the lessons learnt during the implementation of a Peer Support Worker (PSW) pilot project within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The project aimed to reduce the barriers experienced by young people and carers during the process of transition between child and Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS).

The paper combines reflections of staff, PSWs and trainers in order to share the lessons that may be taken from this project. This includes a rough guide for those hoping to employ PSWs to support transitions.

The PSWs provided the vehicle to support the process of transition by empowering young people and their carers to use their strengths to facilitate a hopeful and timely transition. Recommendations regarding support for peers, staff and the organisation during the process of training and employing peers are discussed.

The paper provides a purely reflective account of the pilot project. These reflections may provide guidance for others wishing to develop peer support positions within CAMHS so that an evidence base for the effectiveness of peer support within transitions may continue to grow.

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust are the first NHS Trust in the UK to employ PSWs specifically to support transitions between CAMHS and AMHS. This paper builds on the work of Oldknow et al. (2014) to highlight the first attempts to use peer support to support transitions.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perspectives of prisoners and prison staff in relation to mental wellbeing and the negotiation of barriers to accessing and providing support. This small-scale study includes the experiences of 11 prison staff and 9 prisoners within a Category D male prison.

A focus group was conducted with the prisoners and interviews with prison staff. Thematic analysis identified three core themes: “context enabling factors”, “barriers to accessing support for mental wellbeing” and “peer support roles”.

Prisoners conveyed a reluctance in reporting mental health issues due to the fear of being transferred to closed conditions. All staff indicated the benefits of peer support roles.

Further research is required on a wider scale, as it is acknowledged that the findings of this study are from one prison and may not apply to other settings. Although there are barriers that may impact the reporting of mental wellbeing issues, there may be small relational steps that can be taken to address these.

Few studies exist that explore the nuances and barriers within open prisons, perhaps due to the overwhelming need within closed conditions. A context-specific approach considering early prevention strategies to support a safer prison system and successful rehabilitation is explored. The combination of prisoner and staff experiences is of value to both academia and policymakers.

This paper reports on insights from an evaluation of Birth Companions (BC) (a UK-based charity) perinatal support in two prison settings in England. The initiative involved the provision of group and/or one-to-one perinatal support and training women prisoners as peer supporters.

A mixed-methods study was undertaken that involved observations of support groups and peer support supervision sessions (n = 9); audio recorded interviews (n = 33) with prison and health-care staff, women in prison, peer supporters and BC staff; analysis of existing routinely collected data by BC and notes undertaken during regular meetings (n = 10) with the BC Project Manager. Thematic analysis was undertaken supported by MAXQDA qualitative data analysis software.

BC provided instrumental/practical support, emotional support, information support, signposting to services and advocating for women to the prison concerning their perinatal needs and rights. Key themes revealed that support had an impact on the lives of perinatal women by creating a safe place characterised by meaningful interactions and women-centred approaches that facilitated access to wider care and support. The service made a difference by empowering women and providing added value for peer supporters, prison, health-care and BC staff. Key enablers and strategies for the care of perinatal women and the delivery of perinatal support are also detailed.

Through longitudinal data and the involvement of a range of stakeholders, this study evidences the subtleties of support provided by BC and the potential it has to make a difference to perinatal women in prison and those volunteering or working within the prison system.

Describes a 1988 study by Quinn which identified eight managerial roles that managers must display if they are to be effective. The eight roles are innovator, broker, producer, director, co‐ordinator, monitor, facilitator and mentor. Reports on the present study where 149 managers, of which 35 per cent were females, responded to a survey exploring the extent to which they displayed each of Quinn’s managerial roles. The self‐perceptions of all managers was that the female managers displayed co‐ordinator, monitor and mentor roles more than did male managers. For each manager, their staff, peers and boss were also asked to respond to the questionnaire. Their staff reported that their female managers displayed five roles (innovator, producer, director, co‐ordinator and mentor) more frequently than did the male managers. Peers reported a difference in two of the managerial roles: broker and mentor (females displaying each role more frequently). Bosses did not see the male and female managers differently. The managers and their peers reported that female managers were more effective than male managers. Concludes that these findings have significance for how managers need to interact with their staff and peers and the need for male managers to develop their managerial roles more if they are to be more effective.

The integration of peer support workers with lived experience of mental health problems into existing mental health services has been found beneficial in some ways. However, some peer support workers have experienced unique challenges in terms of role confusion and limited opportunities for networking and support. Qualitative research and evaluation regarding peer support worker integration is limited. This paper aims to address this issue.

The current paper presents a qualitative evaluation of the experiences of two peer support specialist (PSS) workers and their managers within one UK mental health trust. The PSS workers and managers were interviewed individually using a semi‐structured format. Thematic analysis was applied to the interview transcripts.

In agreement with prior research and evaluation, positive experiences and challenges were identified in relation to PSS employment, both for PSS workers and their teams. Overarching themes concern the PSS worker as “other”, the PSS worker as a “change agent”, and “readiness for PSS worker employment”.

The evaluation is limited by the small sample size but the findings could be used to inform the integration of PSS workers into other existing services. This evaluation begins to untangle some of the tensions around the integration process. Strategies to support PSS integration based on the recommendations of participants and the findings of the current evaluation are presented.

The purpose of this paper is to explore user leadership in peer support practice by reviewing existing evidence and models of delivery, investigating the recently developed term of “authentic” peer support and reflecting on challenges and opportunities for the future.

The paper presents and discusses views and evidence on peer support policy and practice, found in the current literature, grass roots peer support experts’ presentations and contributions to conferences, a national peer support network, key policy documents and the work of Together for Mental Wellbeing.

Peer support benefits are widely documented as is its history, rooted in user leadership. More recently, peer support is acknowledged in a number of key mental health policy documents as seen to be key in the response to current quality and cost agendas. There has been a simultaneous increase of “formal” peer support as practiced by large service providers and a gradual shift away from its “user led” origins. Against the background of the current economic climate and implications for mental health services, there seems to be a need to pause and reflect on current peer support practice and rethink the way forward.

This paper's emphasis on the authenticity of peer support covers new ground in relation to an important topical debate.

Peer harm reduction programmes engage service users in service delivery and may help peers to develop employment skills, better health, greater stability, and new goals. Thus far, peer work has not been discussed as an intervention to promote recovery. The purpose of this paper is to provide findings related to two research questions: first,do low-threshold employment programmes have the potential to contribute to positive recovery capital, and if so, how? Second, how are such programmes designed and what challenges do they face in supporting the recovery process?

Using a community-based research approach, data were collected at a Toronto, Canada community health centre using in-depth interviews with peer workers (n=5), staff (n=5), and programme clients (n=4) and two focus groups with peer workers (n=12). A thematic analysis was undertaken to describe the programme model and to explore the mechanisms by which participation contributes to the development of recovery capital.

The design of the Regent Park Community Health Centre peer work model demonstrates how opportunities for participation in community activities may spark cumulative growth in positive recovery capital within the community of PUDs. However, the recovery contagion of peer work may lose momentum with insufficient opportunities for new and experienced peer workers.

Using the concept of recovery capital, the authors demonstrate how low-threshold employment interventions have the potential to contribute to the development of positive recovery capital.