“Shared experience makes this all possible”: documenting the guiding principles of staff providing peer-led services for people released from prison

Abstract Background: There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of peer-led services in supporting community reintegration for people released from prison. This study aims to describe the guiding principles that Unlocking the Gates Services Society (UTGSS) (a not-for profit organization) staff practice in the provision of peer-led services to clients released from prison. Methods: Data were collected using focus groups (N=10; 2 groups with 5 participants each) and one-on-one interviews (N=5) including a total of 13 people, representing all UTGSS staff at the time of the study. An inductive thematic analysis was used to identify patterns in the data. Initial coding was done by using “in-vivo” codes (i.e. applying codes to terms used by participants). This informed the direction of the next stage of analysis, which focused on identifying categories that synthesized the codes and data across transcripts. In this stage, broad themes and sub-themes were developed. Results: Four themes were constructed to reflect the guiding principles of UTGSS staff: 1) Offering hope; 2) Building respectful relationships; 3) Providing consistent support; 4) Meeting people where they are at. Two connected themes arose: 1) Relying on shared experience, which participants reported serves as the foundation for practicing these guiding principles and 2) Bridging connections to services, which reflects the outcome of practicing these guiding principles. Conclusions: The principles identified in this study can be used by UTGSS staff as a guide for checking-in on progress with clients and may be considered as a model for reflection on practice by staff providing similar peer-led services. These principles should not be applied in a prescriptive way, as relationship building is at the centre of peer support, and different applications will be required depending on clients’ goals and the range of supports available within their community.