Peer support in the community

In 2017 Odyssey launched its community peer support team, focused on supporting people in the adult residential therapeutic community (TC). This includes New Zealand’s first family centre, where parents can have their children with them while involved in residential treatment. The team was established in response to the high number of people leaving during the admission process or prior to re-entering the community. It was envisaged peer support workers could help people settle into treatment, and then transition out of treatment and back into the community.

The results were very positive – within the first 12 months of establishing the team, discharges more than halved, and engagement improved dramatically. There was also a noted improvement in communication between the Assessment and Admissions team, the TC treatment team, and other parts of the organisation, as peer support became the ‘glue’ that linked everyone together.

The team is currently involved as part of a project piloting a Social Recovery Model, guided by Prof. David Best from Derby University. This brings together three evidence-based approaches, Rec-Cap assessment, Social Identity Mapping and Asset Based Community Engagement through assertive linkage. The Peer Support team is a vital part of bringing this innovative and exciting model to life as part of the treatment journey.