Our Peer Hubs are located in the communities they serve and offer a structured programme of training and supported work placements to people within that community who have overcome adversity. They train towards achieving an accredited Level 3 Information, Advice and Guidance qualification whilst undertaking work placements with partner organisations and continuing to receive support from St Giles. Alongside added resources, they bring diversity, fresh thinking and keep organisations close to the grassroots communities they are helping. The qualification we offer our Peer Advisors is a high level one and gives them a solid grounding in professional skills. The combination of this, alongside their lived experiences, brings a powerful tool than can effect positive social change from the grassroots up.
Thanks to a £3.7 million grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, we are extending our existing network of Peer Hubs across the whole of the UK.
We have bold ambitions which extend beyond St Giles and the Peer Hubs. We want to mobilise a fundamental change in the way services in our sector and others are shaped so that training and deploying peers becomes the norm. Through our tried and tested approach borne out of many years of developing and professionalising our Peer Advisor Programme, we have a wealth of knowledge to share with other organisations across sectors.