My-Peer Best practice standards for youth peer support programs 9 October 2008
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Transcript of My-Peer Best practice standards for youth peer support programs 9 October 2008
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My-Peer Best practice standards for youth peer
support programs
9 October 2008
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Presented by: Roanna Lobo Graham Brown
Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research,
Curtin University of Technology
My-Peer
Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute
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The My-Peer project is supported by Lotterywest and Healthway.
Acknowledgments
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Overall aims of My-Peer
To promote the long term sustainability of youth peer support programs.
To develop field-tested best practice standards for the design, implementation and evaluation of peer support programs
for mental health promotion.
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My-Peer consortium
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Young people's mental health
1 in 4 young people will experience a depressive disorder during adolescence1
75% of mental health disorders begin before the age of 252
Yet 70% young people who experience mental health problems don't seek help
Early intervention and prevention are very important
1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Young Australians: their health and wellbeing, Canberra, 2007 2 www.headspace.org.au
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Young people's mental health
Adolescents are highly influenced by their peers Peer group acceptance and healthy peer
relationships are important predictors of good mental health
Not all young people experience positive peer relationships
Many young people can feel isolated, desperate and alone
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Peer support
A type of informal social or psychological support
Peers share equal status Through meeting others facing similar
issues, or in similar predicaments, young people can build:
Resilience/coping strategies Connectedness Problem solving skills A sense of possibility
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Peer support programs (PSPs)
Promote positive mental health through:
Peer influence – giving or receiving support
Active involvement of young people Strengths-focused approaches Early intervention Youth friendly settings
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PSPs are particularly effective for
Hard to reach groups Marginalised youth Youth out of school At risk or vulnerable youth Young people who do not actively seek help
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Characteristics of PSPs
Safe environmentAcceptance
Supportive/non-judgmentalOpportunity to meet peers in similar
situations facing common issuesConfidentiality/anonymity
Experiential learning
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Associated benefits
Cognitive/behavioural changePeer supportProvide hope
Friendships/social networkingService information
Personal development
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Freedom Centre
Drop-in centre for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* youth
Safe space Anonymity and confidentiality Peer support and specialist referrals Educational programs Online support services too
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Peer Support Program
5 week program including weekend camp For youth at risk of depression, suicide or
self harm Complements therapeutic services Peer support Opportunity to practise social skills Personal development
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Peer support program
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Talking Realities
Peer educator training program for pregnant or parenting teenage girls aged 14-19
Peer support Assistance to finish education or gain
employment
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Talking Realities
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Gone Fishing
Fishing skills program for lonely or isolated youth
Opportunity to interact with seniors and peers
Opportunity to make friends with other peers who enjoy fishing
Active leisure pursuit
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Ongoing challenges for PSPs
Funding Collecting evidence of effectiveness Incremental change, not a quick fix Sustainability Often dependent on volunteers/highly
committed staff members or individuals Scarce resources
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The need for sustainability
“We know we're doing something right. We need to be able to say what and why”
(agency) “If it wasn't for this program I wouldn't be
here today” (young person)“This is the only place I feel safe. I don't have any other friends” (young person)
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The need for evidence and standards
Funding and sustainability Service improvement Implementing best practice – efficient use
of scarce resources Duty of care/ethical issues re youth
participation Staff morale/retention Knowledge sharing
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My-Peer project objectives
Best practice standards for PSPs Field tested resources Evaluation methods/tools/approaches
suitable for PSP contexts Best practice models for sustainability Capacity building within agencies
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Pilot work completed
2005-2006Framework defining the role of PSPs in
mental health promotion. 2007-2008
Range of evaluation tools and strategies tested within Freedom Centre. Active
involvement of young people and peer volunteers in design and testing.
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My-Peer project design
Action research Diverse range of PSPs and agencies Identify best practice models/success
factors Identify suitable indicators for measuring
effectiveness of PSPs Develop and test evaluation tools 12 month duration (Nov 2008 start)
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Project challenges
Youth friendly toolsKnowledge/skills of staff
Suitable indicators for hard to measure long term outcomes, e.g. emotional wellbeing
Time and resource constraints within agencies
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Discussion
What issues do you face running youth programs?
Which areas are hardest to show evidence that programs are effective?What resources would assist?
What format should these take?
Keen to get feedback right at the start of the project
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Interest groupDo you run a PSP?
Feel you could benefit from the My-Peer resources?
Like to be kept updated on the My-Peer project?
Interested in giving feedback on draft standards?
Sign up to join the My-Peer interest group today!
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My-Peer website
For more information and to access further resources, please visit the My-Peer website at:
http://www.wachpr.curtin.edu.au/mypeer
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Contact details
Ms Roanna Lobo, My-Peer Project [email protected]: 08 9266 7242 (Direct)
Dr Graham Brown, My-Peer Project [email protected]
Tel: 08 9266 2751 (Direct)