This study aims to examine how foster carers involved in the project Mentoring families experience the project overall, the support they receive and how they describe that the project has been put into practice. The data was collected by using qualitative interviews with six participants in the project, two mentoring families and four linked foster carers. The results have been analysed through a thematic analysis and then interpreted via the theoretic ideas about social support from peers. The study finds that foster carers have a positive experience of the project and that the support they receive is something they consider to be valuable for the role as foster carers. Another finding is that the project seems to be able to contribute to increased support. The results also show that the mentoring families have an important role for the possibility of putting the project into practice. The results indicate that some of the functions within the project were not implemented as fully as others, such as the network and planned sleepovers. Apart from these findings the study presents plausible risks about the project Mentoring families concerning the support given by non-professionals. / Mentorsfamiljer

I denna kvalitativa studie har enkäter insamlats från barn och unga som deltagit i stödgruppsverksamhet för barn och unga med en avliden nära anhörig i Dalarnas län. Syftet med studien har varit att beskriva deltagarnas erfarenheter av stödgrupperna. Genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys har tre kategorier identifierats; bearbetning, gemenskap och strukturens betydelse. Studien visar främst på betydelsen av att få träffa andra barn och unga i liknande situation samt indikerar till att deltagarnas KASAM (känsla av sammanhang) förhöjts genom deltagandet i stödgruppen. / In this qualitative study, questionnaires were collected from children and adolescents who had participated in a support group in Dalarnas län for children and adolescents with a deceased close relative. The purpose of this study was to enhance knowledge of children and adolescents’ experiences of participating in support groups through their descriptions in qualitative questionnaires. Qualitative content analysis was conducted and three categories were identified; kinship, processing and the significance of structure. The result highlights the importance of having the opportunity to meet other children and adolescents in similar situations, and indicates that the participants Sense of coherence enhanced through the participation in the support group.

ABSTRACT Background: Previous research shows that peer support has an impact on and significance for patients, staff, health care and the care environment. However, it appears that there is limited research from patients' perspectives and that there is a need for further research on peer support and its significance for patients in psychiatric care. Aim: To describe patients' experience of peer support and its significance for recovery in psychiatric care. Method: Qualitative design with an inductive approach where data collection was done through semi-structured interviews with six patients with mental illness and/or substance abuse in psychiatric outpatient and inpatient care. Interviews were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Results: Through three categories and ten subcategories the importance of receiving support from a peer supporter is emphasized and focuses on what the sharing of one's own experience can contribute to patients' own recovery. Conclusions: The support of a peer supporter with personal experience of mental illness and/or substance abuse felt by patients as a positive experience. The support contributed to a recognition that created a bond and enabled patients to open up and led to a capability to think in other ways. It was described as a safe relationship that was characterized by genuine listening and a special understanding. The patient felt like an ordinary person and not as a sick patient. Seeing that someone else had recovered contributed to the hope for their own future and recovery. / SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning visar att peer support har inverkan på och betydelse för patienter, personal, verksamhet samt vårdmiljö. Dock framkommer att det finns begränsad forskning utifrån patienters perspektiv och att det finns ett behov av ytterligare forskning om peer support och dess betydelse för patienter inom psykiatrisk vård. Syfte: Att beskriva patienters erfarenheter av peer support och dess betydelse för återhämtning inom psykiatrisk vård. Metod: Kvalitativ design med induktiv ansats där datainsamling gjorts genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex patienter med psykisk ohälsa och/eller missbruk inom psykiatrisk öppen- samt slutenvård. Analys genomfördes utifrån kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Genom tre kategorier och tio subkategorier lyfts betydelsen av att få stöd av en peer supporter och tar fasta på vad delandet av egen erfarenhet kan bidra med för patienters egen återhämtning. Slutsatser: Stödet av en peer supporter med egen erfarenhet av psykisk ohälsa och/eller missbruk erfors positivt hos patienter. Stödet bidrog till en igenkänning som skapade ett band som möjliggjorde för patienter att lättare kunna öppna upp och dela med sig och till en förmåga att kunna tänka på andra sätt och komma vidare. Det beskrevs som en trygg och lättsam relation som präglades av genuint lyssnande och speciell förståelse. Patienten erfors bli behandlad som en vanlig människa och inte som en sjuk patient. Att få se att någon annan återhämtat sig bidrog till hopp för egen framtid och återhämtning.

Past studies have found substantial benefits associated with integrating neurotypically developing students as peer supporters for children with autism (McCurdy & Cole, 2013). The current study asks the question as to whether or not the support of typically developing students benefits the social skills development of twice-exceptional students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The “twice-exceptionality” in this study is specifically related to a heightened interest and proficiency in technology compared to children in their same age group, along with a coexisting diagnosis of autism. iSocial, a virtual learning intervention for children with ASD, is a recently developed program targeted to help children with ASD. To date, no research has examined iSocial’s use with peer supporters. As such, a new intervention that combines the use of iSocial with a peer support component is proposed. Typically developing peer supporters and children with ASD will collaboratively complete an 8-10 week intervention. It is predicted that children with autism in the experimental group will score significantly higher on post-intervention tasks than their baseline tasks. It is also predicted that children who collaborated with peer supporters will achieve greater symptom improvements on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and higher scores on the Reading the Mind in Eyes test than the control group. While children in both groups are anticipated to benefit from the iSocial intervention, it is likely that the highest gains will be observed in the peer-supported group. The outcomes of this study may serve as essential and practical ways for developing new methods to test and design interventions for children with ASD.

Disproportionately high numbers of Black people use mental health services and experience involuntary treatment in the UK. There is no simple explanation, but research and policy suggest that groups run by and for Black people with mental health problems provide valued support. This study asks how community development (CD) practice can help these groups to develop and thrive. The research adopted an action research framework to develop four cycles of research, each informing the next, within a social constructivist paradigm. Methods were mainly qualitative: interviews, group discussions and observation, with a questionnaire survey in cycle one. This asked CD practitioners about their activities and helped to identify two groups for case studies in cycles two and three. During the case studies, groups received development support on their chosen topic while participating in qualitative research; activities were clearly demarcated. Reflective field notes added to the data. In the fourth cycle reflective conversations with eminent ‘critical friends’ refined and affirmed the learning. Thematic analysis was continuous and progressive. Findings suggest that CD practitioners can inspire and help Black people with mental health problems to come together in member-led, mutually supportive groups, justifying Black-only membership. Effective practitioners, especially Black role models, helped groups to generate self-belief and self-efficacy through collective action, enabling members to change their status, services and community. Those practitioners who demonstrated critical humility, commitment and competence broke the pattern of racial and psychiatric dominance. Others inadvertently reinforced societal oppression. A new concept is introduced to encapsulate the learning: the ‘liberation approach’ to CD which synthesises four perspectives: radical CD, mental health recovery, Black self-help and liberation theories. This approach helps groups to challenge oppressive processes, breaking the mould in which they feel constrained. The study contributes new theory, evidence and research methodology about CD and self-organising groups within this context.

Beginning May of 2013 and ending in September, I worked with Grace After Fire (Grace), a virtual nonprofit organization that focuses on issues related to female veterans. Grace’s mission is to provide female veterans with the means to gain knowledge, insight and self-renewal. Grace’s mission is accomplished through peer support and resource referral. The aim of my thesis project was to conduct an analysis of Grace’s peer support system, Table Talk: Color Me Camo (Table Talk). Because Table Talk is a fairly new program for Grace, just over a year old, the outreach coordinators were eager to learn: 1) if they were indeed meeting their mission of empowering female veterans, and 2) the point-of-view of the peer facilitators who conduct Table Talk. To help Grace gain perspective, I interviewed women who had previously attended Table Talk, as well as peer facilitators responsible for coordinating the peer support system-all of whom are female veterans. The following is their story.

abstract: Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are university-sanctioned initiatives for students in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Given the ever-rising rates of alcohol and opioid use and misuse, a great need exists to understand how to provide support for those who are considering recovery or who choose a recovery lifestyle in college. The purpose of this action research study was to examine peer-to-peer support for students in recovery. The development of two training innovations, Recovery 101 and Recovery Ally, were delivered to health and wellness peer educators called the Well Devil Ambassadors (WDAs) with the goal of equipping them to better support their peers in recovery. Learning objectives for the training were to gain knowledge about addiction and recovery and to enhance positive attitudes toward students in recovery, which could thereby increase self-efficacy and behavior intention to work with their peers in recovery. Mindfulness was included in the trainings to enhance the WDAs’ experience and provide tools for a self-care skillset. Quantitative data included pre, post, and follow-up surveys for the Recovery 101 training. Qualitative data included short-answer questions following Recovery 101 training and in-depth interviews following Recovery Ally training. Findings indicated that the information provided in Recovery 101 built the WDAs’ knowledge on the topics of addiction and recovery; hearing multiple perspectives from students in recovery allowed the WDAs to increase empathy toward students in recovery; and the building of knowledge, empathy, and mindfulness allowed the WDAs to gain self-efficacy and behavior intention when supporting their peers in recovery. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2018

The new millennia has been characterised by developments in the digital world, creating a new space for social work practice globally. The aim of this research is to explore the online medium as an alternative resource for social work with online groups through an observation and interviews in an online group for Bipolar Disorderin Sweden. The results found that lived experience proved central to all forms of participation and support was seen as a resource to be shared. The implications for social work practice were found on multiple levels with broad areas of influence, such as utilising the online medium as an alternative source of insight, thereby allowing needs assessment, both onindividual and [sub]group level. Accessibility by way of the internet was seen as a catalyser to participation as well as a comprehensive method in creating such communities both locally and internationally through the development of digital social work.

Teacher attrition has been a problem for school systems for more than 30 years. Large numbers of new teachers leave the profession within their first 5 years of service, creating a significant cost associated with hiring and training of replacement teachers. Attrition is problematic for a middle school in the state of Georgia. New teachers at the school have disclosed that induction did not meet their needs. In addition, the district has experienced budget cutbacks and demographic shifts in the student population, increasing the rate new teachers have left the school. The purpose of this study was to explore and give voice to the new teachers' perceptions about the profession, their preparation for classroom teaching, and their understanding of the school's climate and culture. Using Herzberg's theory of motivation, a qualitative case explored perceptions of 10 teachers who had fewer than 5 years teaching experience. The research questions were focused on perceived satisfaction with teaching, preparedness for classroom teaching, and satisfaction with the climate and culture of the school. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews using an interview protocol. Findings revealed that novice teachers were satisfied with the teaching profession, but satisfaction changed over time as they became more immersed in the daily routines necessary for students and classroom management. The data showed that novice teachers were dissatisfied with the climate and culture of the school. In response to the findings, a professional development support group project for novice teachers was developed. This project contributes to positive social change by providing a safe and trusted environment for new teachers to help each other manage challenges and assimilate into their new school environment.

Although information and communication technology (ICT) has gradually become a standard teaching technology in schools in many countries and regions like Hong Kong, the implementation of ICT in teaching and learning in schools still fails to meet high government and public expectations. This study was an investigation into the potential of peer support to enhance professional development of ICT integration for secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. The study utilized peer support as a social approach to professional development and employed action research to examine the experiences of ten secondary school teachers who worked in five peer support groups for sixteen months. A peer support model was introduced to the participants who then applied these principles in their own contexts. Data on participants' reflections and evaluations of the peer support process was collected through individual interviews and peer-group conferences. Each participant was interviewed at the beginning, middle and end of the research period and each peer group was interviewed at the end of the project. By employing a grounded theory approach, themes related to the participants' experiences of peer support for ICT integration and the impact of peer support as a means of professional development were generated from the data. The study's findings indicate that the participants responded positively to peer support as a means of professional development. Peer support was successful in: increasing professional interactions; broadening perspectives of ICT; increasing reflection; and providing personal and emotional support. From an analysis of the study's findings, in conjunction with a review of the appropriate literature, a teacher professional development model for ICT integration has been developed that may be helpful in furthering the goal of successful ICT integration. This model focuses on the importance of intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic incentives and is based on a developmental process in which individual teachers determine their own practice through peer support enhanced critical reflection that continually expands their personal context of ICT integration.