My-Peer Best practice standards for youth peer

support programs

9 October 2008

Presented by: Roanna Lobo Graham Brown

Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research,

Curtin University of Technology

My-Peer

Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute

The My-Peer project is supported by Lotterywest and Healthway.

Acknowledgments

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.

My-Peer consortium

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

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

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

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

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

Characteristics of PSPs

Safe environmentAcceptance

Supportive/non-judgmentalOpportunity to meet peers in similar

situations facing common issuesConfidentiality/anonymity

Experiential learning

Associated benefits

Cognitive/behavioural changePeer supportProvide hope

Friendships/social networkingService information

Personal development

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

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

Peer support program

Talking Realities

Peer educator training program for pregnant or parenting teenage girls aged 14-19

Peer support Assistance to finish education or gain

employment

Talking Realities

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

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

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)

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

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

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.

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)

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

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

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!

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

Contact details

Ms Roanna Lobo, My-Peer Project Managerroanna.lobo@curtin.edu.auTel: 08 9266 7242 (Direct)

Dr Graham Brown, My-Peer Project Directorg.brown@curtin.edu.au

Tel: 08 9266 2751 (Direct)