The Manchester peer support hub brings together a variety of peer support providers from across Greater Manchester. Currently at 70+ groups and growing, the hub is a place for peer support facilitators to share best practice, increase confidence, and discuss your experiences of running and maintaining a peer support group including both the challenges and the successes.
Much like the peer support groups that you facilitate, this is a safe, mutual space for you to share experiences with your peers and to learn and get support from each other. Manchester peer support hub is a growing network for people in peer support, developed and shaped by people involved in peer support.
How do I Join?
To join the Network and receive updates/invites to future sessions, please email [email protected]
Who is the Network for?
This group is for anyone involved in the facilitation of peer support:
- Established peer support groups
- New peer support groups or those looking to set up a group
- People who work in peer support roles
The structure
Peer support hub sessions are currently held bi-monthly online, but we hope to create opportunity for in-person sessions again in the future, as well as more regular and dynamic opportunities to get together.
The peer support hub changes to suit the needs of the community and we are always open to addressing new topics, or trying new approaches, covering topics from setting boundaries and managing group dynamics, to better networking and funding.
To find out more please email [email protected] to ask any questions or arrange an informal chat.
“It has connected me with over 70 providers of voluntary services. In a busy role it is hard to take time to network and research what is going on in the voluntary sector in your area. To be part of a hub meetings zoom / face to face, has enabled me to connect with organisations and people I couldn’t have been able to do on my own. It builds up relationships with people operating similar volunteer peer support for the same projects and shared practices.” Network member
Peer support hub achievements
Previously funded by national Mind, but now independent, we understand how important it is that this space is available and maintained. Here are some of our past activities:
- Four network event days with workshop topics that had emerged from the network meetings, including network partners in the delivery of workshops and presentations. We also focused on networking, in order to establish stronger and more meaningful connections between peer support facilitators and providers.
- We developed a two-day training course on ‘How to set up a peer support group in your community’ that was based on the Side by Side Toolkit. The course was co-produced with two of our long-standing peer support facilitators and was followed up with 1:1 support and coaching as needed to establish six new groups
- We previously have been able to give out 43 Seed Grants of £250 to 39 different peer support groups. With the spread of COVID-19 we offered and gave out the Seed Grant in order to help move groups online.
