The Power of Peers 24 th November 2015

About Cyrenians Supporting people excluded from family, home, work or community Helping around 4,500 people each year High prevalence of poor mental health amongst those we see

Key features of Cyrenians work Relating to people rather than intervening with people Interdependence rather than independence Bringing people together to enable social support to happen

Peers What do we mean? Why do we do it? Some examples: Informal peer support – Community Gardens, Cyrenians Good Food Project Formal peer support – Cyrenians Communities, Cyrenians Recovery Hub Paid peer support – R:Ed Peer Support Project

Cyrenians Communities Cyrenians Farm Community and Cyrenians City Community Residential projects for young people aged Community living Peer mentoring an integral part of the model

Cyrenians Communities The benefit of peer support in the Communities People choosing to be there The learning still happens when the staff go home More akin to real life

Cyrenians Recovery Service Supporting people to overcome addiction Recovery Hub central feature Peer support an integral part of the model

Cyrenians Recovery Service The benefit of peer support in the Recovery Service Opportunity to establish new social networks Explicit mutual benefit from relationships Strength in solidarity

NHS Community Gardens Sites at the Royal Edinburgh and Midlothian Hospital Growing, cooking, green learning Inpatient, outpatient and community resource Informal peer support a key ingredient

NHS Community Gardens The benefit of Peer support in the Community Garden An equality amongst volunteers A common interest not a common problem No ‘worker – client’ dynamic, just experience guiding the novice

Conclusions We have a much bigger reach when we make space for people to be with others Where we have opportunities for peer support we see a decline in the length of time we provide formal support to people for It’s a virtuous circle

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