Peer Hubs

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.

The Peer Hubs

People who train as Peer Advisors work towards an externally accredited Level 3 professional qualification. They use these professional skills and personal experiences to benefit others through undertaking work placements with partner organisations whilst continuing to receive support from St Giles.

Our Side by Side approach means Peer Advisors innately understand the challenges being faced by people they are helping. They give time and support to help other individuals address and overcome any challenges.

Through our national network of Peer Hubs, working Side by Side brings a powerful tool than can bring about positive social change from the grassroots up.

Thanks to a £3.7 million grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, we have extended our existing network of Peer Hubs across the whole of the UK.

How you can partner with us

Alongside added resources, Peer Advisors 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. Our Peer Advisors can enhance your organisation in numerous ways. We can also help advise on processes and policies to enable people with lived experience to thrive in your organisation, and provide training and support to existing volunteers and staff.

  • Organisations employing people with experiences of the issues facing those they are supporting have a very positive view of working Side by Side – 94% say it met or exceeded their expectations
  • 76% agree their clients have improved outcomes and personal circumstances due to being supported Side by
  • Having Side by Side support from someone with similar experience increases a person’s chance of employment from 24% to 44%

Contact a Peer Hub

This was our first-ever Peer Hub and works with people across London to help them become qualified Peer Advisors.  It also works with a wide range of partner agencies enabling them to benefit from their skills. Contact us here. 

The East of England Peer Hub helps people in Norfolk train as Peer Advisors and it works with local partners to enable them to benefit from their skills.  Contact the East of England Peer Hub here.

Located in Leeds, the Yorkshire Peer Hub works across the region to train people in local communities as Peer Advisors and works with partner agencies to enable them to benefit from their skills. Contact the Yorkshire Peer Hub here.

Located in Wrexham, the North Wales Peer Hub helps people in local communities train as Peer Advisors and works with local partners to enable them to benefit from their skills.  Contact the North Wales Peer Hub here.

The Midlands Peer Hub helps people from the diverse range of local communities train as Peer Advisors and works with local partners enabling them to benefit from their skills. Contact the Midlands Peer Hub here.

The Scotland Peer Hub trains local people as Peer Advisors and work closely with local partners to enable them to benefit from their experiences.  Contact the Scotland Peer Hub here.

The Northern Ireland Peer Hub trains local people to become Peer Advisors and works closely with local partners to enable them to benefit from their skills.  Contact the Northern Ireland Peer Hub here.

Join the Peer Advisor Network

Do you share our vision of opening up Side by Side? We want it to become the norm for our sector to train and employ individuals who have past experiences of the challenges of the people they are helping.

We know from our own experiences and numerous evaluations that this approach holds the key to bringing about positive change.  If you are an individual or organisation who is interested in finding out more, join our Peer Advisor Network for updates, news, best practice and events.

Watch how our Peer Advisor Programme impacts on the lives of individuals and those around them

Little steps make all the difference.

There are short stories, then there’s life changing stories. Read about how our clients' lives have been changed by our support.

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