Peer Support Pilot Improves Health Literacy

By Kerrie Gottliebsen

Tweddle has introduced a Peer Support Worker Pilot to help improve the client health literacy experience where residential families obtain, process and understand information relating to their health care needs.
The role of the Peer Support Worker is to provide advocacy, share lived experiences, build relationships and provide mentoring. The role will also assist clients to foster hope and assist with goal setting/skill building and in the future, participate in and help facilitate groups.

Savv, the new Peer Support Worker, is a dad who is passionate about parents being supported and helping them to become the best parents they can be. He has a first-hand understanding of what it is like to participate in a parenting support program and is confident with sharing his experiences. Savv is completing a TAFE Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work.

Working alongside Manager of High Risk Programs Mr Andi Jones, Savv will work with families admitted to Tweddle’s Parenting Assessment and Skills Development program.
The pilot program will focus on supporting high risk program families with eventual expansion to non-high risk programs. This will not only be a great learning opportunity for Savv, but for Tweddle as well.

Andi Jones said that the Peer Support Worker Pilot ensures information and services are provided in a way that meet the readiness and capabilities of the family who are then able to make informed decisions about their health outcomes.

“Measuring an individual’s health literacy provides the basis for improving how staff communicate with clients, and provides a background for the planning of community health interventions and education” he said.

“The aim of the Peer Support Worker Pilot is to examine and summarise the content of Tweddle’s clinical policies and procedures and how they relate to health literacy. Importantly, the pilot will support families experiencing vulnerability and ensure they feel understood, listened to and empowered”.