As health and social care policy evolves, peer support is an increasingly recognised method to help improve the outcomes of care by drawing on those with lived experience. However, despite the establishment of a research basis that demonstrates the methods’ value in care, implementation of lived experiences of peers in practice contexts faces difficulties.

To aid the progress of peer support care, Peer Support Work highlights the experiences of contributors who work or study social care and have lived experience with mental health, substance use, homelessness, criminal justice, and migration. Beginning with the historical context of peer support and moving through the practical implementation of peer support into policy and organizational contexts, this innovative title draws on the contributors’ collective experiences, supported by rigorous academic research, to distil the outcomes, benefits, training and implementation challenges within this emerging practice and research context.

Researchers interested in moving the field forward will benefit from this comprehensive analysis of the existing research on peer support work. The input from contributors with lived experience makes this unique title an excellent resource for policymakers in addition to academics.

Daryl Mahon has 15 years working across human services as practitioner, manager, researcher and in academia. He has worked across community-based addiction, youth work and homeless services during his time as a practitioner. He lectures in various post graduate modules in research methods, addiction and psychotherapy, and graduate modules in health and social care. Prior to this, Daryl was employed as a researcher implementing evidence-based programmes as part of service reform in Ireland. Daryl is an active researcher and consultant and has a range of publications, including academic textbooks and journal articles across psychotherapy peer support and trauma informed care. Daryl has also published major international articles on the development of outcome and process questionnaires and their correlation with treatment outcomes for adults, young people, and organisational level outcomes