Gaining Confidence Through Peer Support
On 3rd October myself and another Lived Experience Team member presented the recent progress on the liaison and diversion peer support model which the team has been developing over the last few months to the national Liaison and Diversion Programme Board. A carefully thought through plan has been developed including appropriate training, structure of interviews, clear job specification, staffing and evaluation of the model as a whole.
My view…
I originally got involved with the Lived Experience team because of my own personal experiences with the Criminal Justice System. If I had been offered the Liaison and Diversion model alongside the option for peer support my journey through the Criminal Justice System could have been far shorter and less traumatic. I think Peer Support is important for people to avoid potentially becoming deeper entwined in the system and becoming trapped in the revolving roor. With support you get to learn through shared experience. This can give you confidence that there is light and the end of the tunnel.
Hurdles…
The aim for the final model is to trial it out in two sites with a view to a full scale national roll out.
We had anticipated a number of problems in designing the model based on previously adopted models and constraints of ex-offenders working in the Criminal Justice System. These concerns were brought up with senior members of staff at NHS England and addressed in the strategy meetings. We tried to address these concerns to the best of our abilities and came to the conclusion through regular appraisals and that the situations may change as the programme gains momentum.
The Board….
We went through the board papers beforehand and noticed a number of areas and points that needed clarification from the Board. When in there my initial anxieties about presenting to professionals left once I got into the swing of things. Other issues were brought forward during the meeting which were addressed by various Board members and overall the meeting was a productive one. Through our presence on the panel we were able to raise the specific questions that needed clarification. It also offered the Board a chance to ask us any questions about the Liaison and Diverson peer support model. It was important being there: we were representing the Lived Experience Team as whole with it’s membership from all over the country.
I enjoyed taking part as it provided insight in to the bigger scheme of L & D and the role that PS has within this. I have gained a lot of knowledge from this and I am very much looking forward to seeing my own, and the LET comments and ideas being implemented in to the development of the final model. It will be interesting to see the process of how the LET and the PG work together in doing this.
