Report: Iriss Insight 31 – Peer support roles in mental health services
By Reports & Resources, , ,

The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (Iriss) have published the latest in their series of Insights.

Insight 31 – Peer support roles in mental health services – which was written by Louise Christie, Network Manager (Policy and Development) at Scottish Recovery Network. 

This latest Insight pulls together evidence to support the development of peer support roles across health and social care services. It has been designed to increase understanding of peer support and how it benefits people using services, those in peer support roles, other practitioners and the service itself.

Louise Christie commented: “A modern recovery focused mental health system needs to use all available assets including lived experience to ensure that people get the support they need when they need it and have better experiences and outcomes.

“The development of peer support roles in mental health services can assist services to become more recovery focused, strengths based and person centred.”

Key Points
  • Peer support is not new and exists in many forms, from informal sharing of experiences, to formalised peer support roles (paid and unpaid) in services. 
  • Through the development of formalised peer support roles, people with lived experience of mental health problems are trained and employed to support others.
  • An increasing number of organisations and services are developing peer support roles. There are now around 80 paid posts in mental health services and a far higher number of unpaid roles.  
  • There is potential for further growth in peer support roles across all types of mental health services.
  • Peer support roles are particularly effective in supporting issues identified as central to recovery, including hope, empowerment and social inclusion.
  • There is evidence of an increased focus on recovery; better awareness of the value of lived experience in services and relationships; and a reduction in stigma and a ‘them and us’ attitude through peer support.
  • Peer support roles help services implement goals set by wider policy, such as the co-production of services; and adopting a strengths- and rights-based, as well as a recovery-focused approach.