First Steps Towards Development of Peer Work in Georgia
There are currently over 80 000 persons registered in State mental health services in Georgia, however it is estimated that the number of people who struggle with mental health problems and do not seek help is much higher.
Czech NGO Center for Mental Health Care Development (CMHCD) together with their local partner Georgian Union “Partnership for Equal Rights” (PER) implements the Challenge Fund project Support of peer work in Georgia.
Peer workers are people with lived experience of mental disorder and peer support is an innovative intervention in which peers offer support to others with mental disorder in social services, psychiatric hospitals and other social and health facilities.
According to the Georgian Mental Health Strategy 2022–2030 and Action plan 2020 –2024, peer work should be developed in at least 10% of mental health services in the country by the end of 2024. However, Georgia doesn’t have expertise on national level to implement this specific innovative part of the strategy, and in particular, does not have the appropriate training curriculums and trainers in place.
This projects aims to not only train group of peer workers to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to enter mental health services but also develop standard of peer work that frames the functioning of peer workers in the mental health care system in the country.
Deliverables:
Press release