Last Updated on 10/08/2023

The buddy system

One of the greatest forms of support reported by trainees is that provided by other trainees. Prior to starting the course each member of the new cohort is given the opportunity to be put in touch with a current first or second year who will act as a ‘buddy’ throughout the three years of training. The Chair of the Pastoral Development and Implementation Group coordinates the allocation of ‘buddies’.

On starting the programme there is an induction period, where trainees spend time face-to-face at the university  for teaching. This offers opportunity for peer support. There is normally a minimum of one day’s teaching each week throughout training where the trainee year group meets, either face-to-face or online. There are also extended teaching blocks at various points that tend to accompany placement changes. This again is an opportunity for peer support during periods of transition. In addition, it is often the case that several trainees will be on placement simultaneously with an individual supervisor or within a particular service. There are also opportunities for group supervision sessions with trainees from different cohorts, and these provide a good opportunity to share information about aspects of placement experience.

The peer supporter system

As well as the opportunity to be paired with a buddy when starting the programme, trainees can also access peer support at any point during their training when they think such support would be useful in relation to a specific issue. The idea of this peer supporter system is for trainees to be paired with another trainee who has experienced a similar issue themselves. Issues may be related to work/training e.g. when a trainee is being assessed for a disability and wants to speak to another trainee who has been through the disability assessment process or when a trainee has failed an assignment and wants to speak to a trainee who has previously failed the same assignment. Alternatively, issues may be more personal in nature, for example trainees who are experiencing mental health problems or physical health problems and would like support from someone else who has had similar difficulties, or trainees who are parents and want to speak to another trainee who is managing parenthood alongside training. Support can come from trainees in any year of training or from trainees who qualified from the programme in the previous year.

Becoming a peer supporter

A database is held of trainees who have volunteered to be peer supporters. To be added to the database trainees should contact the peer support co-ordinator, specifying any particular areas they may be able to offer support with where possible.

Accessing support from a peer supporter

When a trainee would like to access the peer supporter system, the process is as follows: –

  1. Trainee emails the peer support co-ordinator Claire Anderson (c.l.anderson@lancaster.ac.uk) seeking support for a particular issue.
  2. The peer support co-ordinator tries to match the trainee with a suitable peer supporter from the database.
  3. The peer support co-ordinator emails the peer supporter to check they would be happy to be contacted about that issue.
  4. If yes, the peer support co-ordinator will give the name and contact details of the peer supporter to the trainee seeing support so that they can decide to contact them directly.
  5. If it is not possible to identity a suitable peer supporter from the database, the peer support co-ordinator will ask whether the trainee would like a summary of the issue to be sent to all on the database with the hope of a peer supporter volunteering themselves to offer support. The co-ordinator would then pass on the name and contact details of the peer supporter to the trainee.

The peer support co-ordinator stores information about trainees on their computer and ensured it is password protected.