How do I know my peer program is working? Wednesday, January 26, 2011, ET
Peers living with HIV/AIDS play an essential role in engaging HIV-positive individuals in care and treatment. This webcast is intended for organizations and individuals interested in learning about methods to document the impact of peer services on HIV care and treatment. Evaluators working in clinics and community-based organizations discuss strategies and tools for monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating information about peer programs.

HIV-positive peers who work to retain PLWHA in care and treatment and who may have experienced life challenges similar to those of their clients have unique needs for supervision and support. Effective peer supervision calls for supervisors to develop a highly supportive supervisory style that borrows from mental health counseling, social work and supervision. This webcast provides strategies for supportive and clinical approaches for supervising peers in the workplace. Panelists discuss case examples addressing issues such as managing peer-client relationships, working with peers as part of a multidisciplinary team and supporting peer development.

As the role of peers in HIV care and treatment has become increasingly valuable, so has the need for comprehensive training materials. The PEER Center and the Peer Education Training Sites have developed a toolkit, Building Blocks to Peer Success, to assist trainers and program directors in planning a peer training for newly hired peers or providing continuing education for existing peers. This Webcast gives participants an overview of the content and organization of the toolkit as well as a brief introduction on how to use the toolkit to plan and organize training.

Peers living with HIV/AIDS play an essential role in engaging HIV-positive individuals in care and treatment. The unique nature of that role brings with it special considerations when integrating peers as part of the health care team. This Webcast helps participants learn to identify peer roles and responsibilities, develop training and supervision systems, and monitor and evaluate peer contributions to HIV services.

This webcast is the first of a two-part continuing education series for HIV positive peers and their supervisors. The Webcast includes speakers with extensive experience in training and supervising peers to work with clients around disclosure.

Evaluators working in clinics and community-based organizations will discuss strategies and tools for monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating information about peer programs. The webcast included speakers from three programs: PEER Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston; MAPACT Project, Columbia University in New York City, NY; Missouri AIDS Alliance, Kansas City Free Health Clinic in Kansas City, MO

This webcast is the first of a two-part seminar. It is designed as an introduction to approaches for supervising peers. It will describe three distinct areas of supervision which together can help peers to thrive in the workplace. It will include case examples consisting of issues that are common for peers working in the field of supporting clients: boundaries, confidentiality and integrating peers into the health care team.

This Webcast will help participants learn to identify strategies for recruiting and hiring peers including what qualifications to look for, how to conduct interviews, how to orient and train peers prior to working with clients, and how to introduce and retain peers as part of the health care team.

This webcast is intended for anyone interested in learning about the roles of peers in providing HIV care and treatment. Peers working in clinics and community-based organizations will discuss their work and activities with clients and HIV providers.