B. Leadership Infrastructure
A critical step in establishing your Peer Support program is to recruit the workforce who will support the development and ongoing maintenance of the program. Below is a list of recommended roles and responsibilities to establish. The roles you choose to fill, and the number of staff members you choose to assign to each role, will depend on the size, goals, and resources of your institution.
Recommended Roles and Responsibilities for your Peer Support Program Workforce
| Role | Responsabilities | Staff Description |
| Executive Sponsors/ Stakeholders | Keep program aligned with hospital/system strategies, lead portfolio direction, govern program risk | V-level hospital leadership such as Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, Chiefs |
| Chair/Co Chairs | Lead the Peer Support program and Advisory Committee on a regular basis as part of their project portfolios | D-level hospital leadership such as Directors, Associate Chiefs |
| Administrative Lead/Program Manager | Manages all administrative tasks, training scheduling, meetings, mailbox, etc | Program Managers, Secretaries, Administrative Assistants |
| Central Peer Support Lead | Processes hospital-wide Peer Support requests, assigns Peer Supporters and/or assigns requests to Local Peer Support Leads | Processes hospital-wide Peer Support requests, assigns Peer Supporters and/or assigns requests to Local Peer Support Leads |
| Advisory Committee | Provide insights and updates from areas of responsibility, meet regularly to discuss program, facilitate ongoing development and success of program | Representatives from interested units/departments such as nursing unit, department, residency, quality/safety, employee assistance program, risk management, patient advocacy, and outside hospital leadership |
| Education Committee | Create Peer Supporter training content, facilitate training sessions, review feedback surveys, provide consultation for local Peer Support program leadership, publish program results and lessons learned | Volunteers with a background and/or interest in education, academia, and program success and spread |
| Marketing and Communications Team | Lead ongoing marketing and communication plans | Copywriters, Social Media Managers, Marketing Managers, Graphic Designers |
| IT Team | Develop and support program digital infrastructure | Computer programmers, IT specialists |
| Local Peer Support Leads | Manage local unit/department Peer Support programs, deploy local peer supporters and resources, provide updates to central leadership above as needed | Unit/department leadership such as Nursing Directors, Department Directors, Residency Directors, and Quality Leads |
| Leadership Infrastructure: To Do’s |
| ☐ Assign Peer Support program roles ☐ Train staff on Peer Support program roles and responsibilities ☐ Schedule recurring meetings as needed for Peer Support program staff/committees |
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