The implementation of a peer support scheme in an assertive rehabilitation ward in high secure forensic services

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the implementation of a peer support volunteer scheme in a high secure setting and to explore the peer support volunteer’s experiences conducting this role, based predominantly on an assertive rehabilitation ward.

This paper has outlined the implementation of the peer support volunteer scheme in a high secure setting and has explored the peer support volunteer’s experiences conducting this role and has explored the views of newly transferred patients who have accessed this scheme. The peer support scheme is based predominantly on an assertive rehabilitation ward. The data have been collected through the completion of detailed questionnaires that have been disseminated to participants through the clinical team.

This paper has outlined the implementation of a peer support scheme on an assertive rehabilitation ward within a high secure forensic mental health setting. This paper has explored the role and experiences of a peer support volunteer on an assertive rehabilitation ward and has explored the experience from a service recipient’s perspective also through the completion of questionnaires. This paper has explored the overall benefits of peer support within mental health services to both the volunteer, staff members and to a patient newly admitted to the ward, and has identified the skills that the volunteer is able to develop following contribution in to the peer support scheme.

This paper has acknowledged that there have been challenges introducing this particular scheme into mental health service teams. Challenges have included establishing appropriate boundaries and dilution of the role due to power imbalances, both between the peer support volunteer and the service recipient, but also between the clinical team that supervises the overall peer support scheme (Christie, 2016). The clinical team within this particular ward have been mindful with regards to the approach that has been utilised and has therefore, included the service users within the overall development of the scheme to encompass the recovery principles, but have continued to review the progression as a team and have taken into consideration all aspects of relational security.

The paper relating to the implementation of the peer support volunteer scheme in a high secure setting has not been published before and is not under consideration for publication with another journal.