voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
Fife Peer Support Network
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The Fife Peer Support Network was established in March 2020 to build capacity for delivering peer practice with both individuals and organisations in the area. The Fife Peer Support Network has a substantial and diverse membership including individuals at various stages of their own journey of recovery, staff and managers from a variety of third sector organisations as well as Fife Health & Social Care Partnership services.
Are you interested in being part of growing peer support in Fife? Whether you are an individual on your own journey of recovery, part of a group or an organisation keen to find out more about developing peer practice within your service, read this page for more information.
A Peer Practitioner is someone with lived experience of relevant challenges who is on their own journey of recovery and may be recruited in a voluntary or employed role. Peer Practitioners are trained and supported to work in a mutually empowering way with individuals or groups.
Peer Practice is relevant to many sectors and policy priorities for Fife and can range from the informality of attending a community of interest group for mutual support to more structured formal support for which specific peer roles are created through volunteering and employment.
The Fife Peer Support Network holds quarterly Gatherings, produces a bi-monthly newsletter and coordinates and delivers a programme of training and 1:1 support all designed to build capacity to deliver peer practice in Fife.
Anyone who is interested in growing peer practice in Fife is welcome to join the Network. Please get in touch with [email protected] to find out more and sign up to our mailing list.
We are passionate about growing and investing in peer practice and hope that through inclusive co-production we can develop and establish excellence in the field of peer in Fife. We partner with Scottish Recovery Network who have put together this short video on the meaning of peer support.
Guides
The Fife Peer Support Network has co-produced two guides designed to support individuals and organisations to deliver quality Peer Practice:
• A Framework for Growing Peer Practice in Fife which gives guidance and information on how to develop and prepare for Peer Practice both as individuals and for organisations;
• The Fife Peer Skills Pathway which provides an overview of the journey of learning and experience in developing peer practice, as well as providing details of relevant training and opportunities.
As part of FVA's Struggle to Strength Project (S2S) the Peer Support Network works closely with the Lived Experience Team.
At last year's Network Celebration Louise Christie, Director of Scottish Recovery Network said "Recovery and peer support is about change, not just at an individual level but also in society. About how we think about mental health, what we give validity and respect to and who has the power to make change happen. Peer support movements can bring about change - we are powerful when we get together."
Jax Thomson, one of our Peer students shared, why Peer is important to her: "Because it changes lives, and for me it gave me hope for the future and that things can change."
The Network builds on the principles and values of peer recovery developed through Scottish Recovery Network's Experts by Experience:
Hope We believe in the reality of recovery for all Empowerment We believe empowerment means being in the driving seat Authenticity We believe being authentic is about being true to ourselves Responsibility We believe wellness and recovery involves taking responsibility Mutuality We believe that mutuality is core to peer working Experience We believe recovery is a unique and individual experience
Statement of Community for Fife's Mental Health Peer Support Network
Peer leadership opportunities, within the Fife Mental Health Peer Support Network (PSN) for people with lived experience, are paramount: We will be innovative in engaging with all interested parties. The Peer Support Network will not work in isolation, we will be open and transparent with anyone in Fife who expresses their interest and views. Fife Peer Support Network embraces diversity and equality, the right to self-identify as a peer.
The Fife Peer Support Network is an emerging community of practice for the ongoing development and implementation of formal peer roles within Fife. We value learning and development as the foundation of our approach and will work with people, communities and providers to develop peer practice across the area.
We will engage with all interested parties in our shared vision of working towards a Fife where peer recovery work is flourishing with a foundation of shared core values and within this shared Fife Framework.
We hope the information on this page answers your questions about Fife's Peer Support Network. Please get in touch with [email protected] to sign up for our mailing list and receive regular updates and invites to our events and training.
Suggest an update/report an error/enquire about this page
Downloads
Struggle to Strength Review, Year 1, (published January 2023)
Struggle to Strenght Review, Year 2, (published December 2023)