Structurally embedding peer support workers in recovery-oriented mental health care: PEER-B study offers a policy frame…

💡Structurally embedding peer support workers in recovery-oriented mental health care: PEER-B study offers a policy framework. Peer support workers bring knowledge that stems from lived experience with psychological vulnerability, recovery, care, and exclusion. That knowledge is complementary to professional and scientific expertise. It is essential for recovery-oriented care. Yet embedding it in Belgium remains fragmented: different statuses, roles, training paths, remuneration, and funding, often dependent on local goodwill or temporary projects. The PEER-B study by the EQUALITY//ResearchCollective (HOGENT), commissioned by RIZIV, maps out that landscape and formulates building blocks for a sustainable policy framework. Through a literature review, a survey of 188 mental health services, duo-interviews, and learning networks, a practice-grounded framework emerged. Some findings: - In 57% of the organizations surveyed, at least one peer support worker is active - Statuses vary widely (paid, voluntary, or a mix) - Motives mainly relate to a recovery vision, client perspective, destigmatization, and collaboration - Sustainable embedding requires more than presence: culture, funding, training, peer supervision, team preparation, and genuine say The report formulates ten interconnected recommendations: - Structural embedding at the level of the mental health networks (multi-year plans, cross-cutting working groups, local reference persons) - Visibility and knowledge sharing through a cross-sector infrastructure - Quality assurance that makes the embedding and impact of experiential knowledge visible - Equal involvement of peer support workers in policymaking at all levels - A layered job profile as a basis for roles, remuneration, and career growth - A clear framework for voluntary versus paid engagement, including progressive employment - Accessible, modular, and affordable training offerings with room for specialization - Guaranteed, safe peer supervision and continuous professional development - Sustainable funding instead of ad-hoc project resources - Support for teams and embedding of experiential knowledge in higher education This is an invitation to networks, organizations, policymakers, training providers, and peer support workers themselves: read the report, use the recommendations as a framework for dialogue and action, and keep building toward equal partnership. Thanks to the entire research team (Clara De Ruysscher, Lore Baeten, Armando Monteleone, Ielde Vermeir, Tijs Van Steenberghe, Jessica De Maeyer) for this rigorous, practice-rooted work. Curious to see how this policy framework gets translated into practice in the years ahead, and how platforms like the Experience Hub network can contribute their part to that. You can read the rapport in Dutch and French on the website of EQUALITY//ResearchCollective through the link.