PEER-TO-PEER GROUPS AS A FORM OF STRENGTHENING OF SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONALS IN SUPPORTED LIVING OF ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND MENTAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

The article is devoted to an important aspect of the development of the social service of supported living for people with psychosocial disabilities: the professional support of specialists who provide support to recipients of supported living services. In Ukraine, there is an urgent need for the development and scaling of assisted living services for residents of residential institutions, who will soon start living in communities due to the implementation of the deinstitutionalization reform. "Supported living services" is an umbrella term that unites several different social services, in which a person is provided with social, psychological and andragogical support of her daily activity. According to research, 60,000 people with a mental health disability were provided with supported living services in England, who demonstrated improvements in social and independent living skills as a result of the services provided. In doing so, professional and social support was provided on-site and 24/7, and research findings show that access to trained staff improves quality of life and increases self-efficacy. About 15 public organizations and several communal institutions in Ukraine currently provide assisted living services for about 150 people with mental, intellectual and complex disabilities. When providing such a service, especially when living in a training apartment, they need pedagogical (andragogical) support. The peer-to-peer groups have proven themselves well to strengthen specialists who work within the framework of the service of supported living for adults with disabilities. One of the groups"peer-to-peer" for specialists of assisted living facilities and training apartments worked for 7 months in an online format and based on the feedback of participants, allowed to expand the scope of professional relations, develop partnership skills, and raise the level of awareness in this area. No less important is the exchange of experience within the group, because the participants have the opportunity to discuss their own professional cases and difficulties, as well as try to find solutions and new approaches to solving problem situations.