Focused on ability
not disability
PEER SUPPORT BROKERS PROJECT
In 2016 we were granted funding by the City Bridge Trust to deliver the much-needed accredited support brokerage training aimed at people living with disabilities, learning and mental health conditions so that they can become Peer Support Brokers in their communities helping people have better choice, independence and control in their lives.
Peer Support Brokers are independent guides to make sure you can love the life of your choice if you are a disabled or older person and in the present day, Peer Support Brokerage is seen as a crucial component of self-directed support in Health and Social Care and Peer Support Brokers are often involved in helping people write a support plan when they have a personal budget from Social Services or from the NHS via their Clinical Commissioning Group.
The course goes into the historical context of commissioning to the present day with the Care Act 2014 and Personalisation being on the agenda. It also allows people to develop their research skills, numeracy through budgeting, teamwork and social confidence from engaging in group work and discussions.
Since we started running the course, we have delivered 5 rounds of the training and had people from all walks and ages of life from 18 to 66 attend. We have trained a total of 70 people across Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Redbridge, Havering, Waltham Forest, and Hackney.
The training course has given our attendees a lot of confidence in learning new skills in which they feel they can truly make an impact to their communities and in wider society. All our learners have gone on to do other things having attended the Peer Support Brokerage training from practicing as a Peer Support Broker, volunteering and paid work positions, other short courses and 2 have gone on to university!
We will be running our final training course in January 2021 in Barking and have factored in Social Distancing - so do get in touch to make sure you do not miss out!