Manage Peer Support

Please see Disclaimer: Peer Support Resources below.

Organizations, program managers, and other people involved with peer support programs are often responsible for their design and delivery. Such tasks often include recruiting people to be trained as peer supporters, creating incentives and trouble-shooting problems to keep peer supporters involved, and general maintenance to sustain and improve a peer support program. Management resources to address these tasks can be helpful both to organizations and managers that are planning a new peer support intervention and to those who are strengthening an existing peer support intervention.

In this section you will find resources related to managing implementation of peer support, recruitment, selection, retention, and sustainability.

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If you are interested in learning more about training peer supporters, please visit that section of the website for information and resources on the core components of peer supporter training.

Managing Implementation of Peer Support

The following resources provide general information and suggestions regarding efforts to design, deliver, and manage peer support programs.

General Information

Example Guides for Managers

Tools for Managers

Managing a peer support program often involves using assessment materials, forms, and instruments to track and monitor everyday aspects of a peer support program.

Please also see Evaluating Peer Support for additional monitoring resources.

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Recruitment

Recruitment of peer supporters will vary between projects and must be tailored to fit individual purposes and environment. There are, however, several methods for recruiting the most successful group of peer leaders. Before beginning recruitment, it is essential to define the group of peers you would like to recruit as well as define the community makeup with which you'll be working. Recruitment must be straight forward with presentation of clearly defined roles of the peer leaders and an accurate reflection of your expectations. Recruitment can be done through primary care physicians or diabetes clinics, asking for clinician nominations of their patients, and also through community linkages and relationships.

Some other things to consider when recruiting peer supporters:

  • Providing a job description of the peer supporter's role and expectations
  • Defining goals and objectives for the peer supporters
  • Defining prerequisites: skills, knowledge, etc.
  • Using social networks to recruit
  • Employing a systematic screening process of potential peer supporters

Resources:

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Selection

It is important that the peer supporter have direct experience with managing diabetes – a person with type 2 diabetes or a diagnosed relative who is educated and experienced with diabetes self-management. Peers should be similar to the population profile of the people with whom they will work in regards to issues such as age, ethnicity, and other personal characteristics. The final selection of peers must be done carefully, examining issues such as social skills, motivation, good diabetes self-management, and sufficient time availability.

Some questions to consider in selecting peer supporters:

  • What is your target community?
  • Are your peer supporters a part of that community?
  • Will you pay your peer supporters?
  • What is the time commitment for peer supporters?
  • Is it a requirement that your peer supporters have type 2 diabetes?
  • What is this person's knowledge about diabetes self-management?
  • How well does this person manage their diabetes?
  • What clinic or provider does this person visit?
  • How well does this person relate to others?
  • What motivates this person?
  • How available is this person to provide regular and ongoing support?

Resources:

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Retention

Once peer supporters are selected, a number of steps can be taken to clarify, recognize, honor, and maintain their contributions. For example, contracted hours and expectations may be agreed upon and signed by both parties. Contracts should clearly define roles, expectations, objectives, time commitment, and ethical boundaries. It should be obvious how seriously the sponsoring organization takes them and their position. Throughout the recruitment process and study, the peer supporters should be given plenty of feedback and input. Positive reinforcements should be given regularly to the peer supporters, be they tangible or otherwise, and support for these peers must be available to avoid the burnout and turnover that often threaten peer support programs' effectiveness.

Here are several steps that may be taken to ensure peer supporters' retention:

  • Encourage peer supporters' input in defining their roles, activities and responsibilities
  • Ask about peer supporters' expectations for being a peer supporter and how they feel about meeting these expectations
  • Outline the responsibilities of peer supporters and regularly remind of these responsibilities
  • Provide adequate training and training materials for peer supporters
  • Require a workable time commitment to the project
  • Provide and reinforce the message that input of peer supporters is valued and appreciated
  • Organize peer supporters' get-together events on a regular basis where they can provide support to each other, exchange the peer supporter experiences, and suggest various problem-solving strategies
  • Make sure that peer supporters have constant support from program staff in case they need any advice related to their peer supporting activities
  • Maintain contact information of peer supporters and update it regularly
  • Have a protocol to follow if a peer supporter leaves the project
  • Cover travel, communication and other related expenses

Find resources from The University of Kansas Community Tool Box on various ways to retain and provide support for peer supporters:

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Sustainability

Once you have figured out strategies to retain and support peer supporters in your program, it's time to start thinking about and planning for long-term program sustainability. Sustainability involves regularly seeking, developing, and maintaining a funding base for the program. Sustainability also involves making and strengthening connections with major stakeholders in health care and in the community. Another step toward program sustainability involves understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the program and lessons learned.

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Disclaimer: Peer Support Resources

Peers for Progress aims to serve peer support programs around the world by providing a compilation of web-based resources for developing and enhancing these programs. Framed by peer support's core functions as outlined in Learn, we selected these materials from varied sources and from materials provided to us. In doing so, we have sought to include materials that reflect state-of-the-art knowledge of diabetes, peer support, diabetes management, and health promotion. Users should exercise their own judgment in assessing the appropriateness of materials for their own setting and population. Peers for Progress assumes no responsibility for the quality of evidence on which materials are based or consequences of their use.

Peers for Progress has no financial interests with specific websites or organizations listed in this section. For a full listing of our partnerships, please read About Us.

If a user would like to suggest additional resources, please Contact Us. As you use and possibly adapt resources, please give credit to the developing organization.

Peers for Progress is a program of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation and supported by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.