Led by our peer researcher, we studied the scope of practice for peer support workers in addiction services, the professional development needs of peers, and the ‘secret sauce’ that makes peer support effective. The infographic above provides a summary of our results. We will also post the links for academic publications when they are available.
Overall, we found that peers who work in community peer services tend to feel more confident in their roles and their opportunities for progression. Peers who work in interdisciplinary teams often felt misunderstood and sidelined. They struggled to see a path for progression without obtaining a new degree and didn’t have professional mentors. There are lots of opportunities for providing more support to peers, which will increase staff retention and job satisfaction.
There are also struggles to know what constitutes peer support workers’ scope of practice. Based on the perspectives of peers, we created a PSW scope of practice, which may be useful to start discussions at your organization.
Our focus now is on translating this research to promote better working environments for peers in addiction services.
