Peer Support in Action : From Bystanding to Standing By

Peer support systems are increasingly being used in schools and other youth settings to tackle problems such as bullying, rejection, social exclusion, sexual identity, self-esteem and loneliness.

Peer Support in Action is a practical guide which gives adults who work with children and young people the knowledge, understanding and practical tools to provide effective and appropriate systems of peer support. Helen Cowie and Patti Wallace combine insights drawn from practice with up-to-date research findings, to give a sound basis for peer-based interventions. They encourage readers to build on the potential for offering help which many young people have and give practical guidance on how to train, guide and supervise them in supporting their peers. Peer Support in Action is for teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, education welfare officers, counselors and counseling psychologists and all professionals involved in the pastoral care and guidance of children and young people.

`Peer Support in Action contains a great many interesting and practical ideas related to the planning and implemention of a peer-based support system in school.... The way this book has been written will make it a very useful tool for psychologists or other professionals working with schools setting up programmes or "services". It provides a good framework for the process of development and evaluation of such a programme and is not prescriptive in terms of the type of peer suport that might be developed within that process′ - Debate

`Although the book is very school focused in the language and the examples it uses, it will be a valuable resource for anyone involved in the pastoral care of young people from youth workers to educational psychologists.

Peer Support in Action is a well-rounded guide to setting up and sustaining a peer support service. Whilst showing the transformation potential of peer support for both supporter and supportee, it highlights the serious nature of such an undertaking, emphasising the importance of rigour in this area of education which, if not approached with care, could potentially do more damage than good. It also points to some of the likely stumbling blocks encountered when introducing a system which may prove to be challenging to the very institutions that wish to adopt it′ - Educational Review

`It would be of use to adults and teachers who are starting to research peer support and the logistics of adopting such a scheme in their school. It would also be of use for staff who are currently operating a peer support scheme. I personally will use this book and keep a copy in the counselling service library, recommending it to counsellors/trainers and teachers interested or already facilitating peer support in their schools′ - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

`It is easy to read, comprehensive in its structure and advice and through examples of first-hand experiences, makes the reader feel enthusiastic about trying out different ideas.... An excellent handbook for the manager of a peer support system for any organization′ - Anne Woodhouse, Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry