Chronic Illness Alliance - Peer Support Network

Best Practice Framework

3. Program Planning and Development

This step is similar to management of any project. Issues to consider are:

• Resources (people, physical space),
• Budget, and
• Schedule for implementation.

Based on the type or types of programs you have chosen, the first step in implementation is to firm up your estimate of the resources that you will need so that you and your organisation understand what you are taking on. You will need to prepare a budget to cover the initial program development and start up, and a budget for the on-going support of the program. Items to consider in preparing each budget are:

• Staff salaries,
• Expenses for staff and volunteers (e.g. travel, telephone),
• Specialist fees (e.g. web design),
• Equipment,
• Training costs (e.g. venue hire, printing, equipment),
• Promotion costs (e.g. printing and advertising),
• Web hosting fees,
• Venue costs, and
• Catering.
  

The need for a basic budget applies to any peer support program – from a totally volunteer-run self-help group, to a larger more formal program with staff and facilities. It’s a question of understanding that the path you are taking is feasible.

Once you have established the basic form of the program and determined that you and your organisation have the resources to go ahead, the next steps are developing the details of how the program will run.

It is important to consider who will have ongoing responsibility for the program. A peer support program will always be somewhat emergent in its form i.e. the shape will change as you go along as you and the peers find what works for them and what does not. Nevertheless, it is pointless to develop and implement a program without giving significant thought to the ongoing sustainability of program activities. Appointing someone as coordinator of the program (with a clear understanding of the time and scope of the position) at an early stage will help keep activities on track. The coordinator’s role may be paid or volunteer.

Another factor that deserves consideration at an early stage is how the performance of the program will be monitored and evaluated. It may not be possible to draw any overall conclusions about performance until the program has been in operation for some time. Nevertheless, if there is no method of data/information collection built in to the design, then monitoring and performance evaluation at a later date will be much more difficult.

All these issues can be covered in a simple project plan covering what you want to do, plus the timeframe and resources needed. If you don’t know what you are aiming for, you probably won’t get there!

If your organisation is a community group, you may get some useful ideas on fundraising from the Our Community web site[v]. If you intend to fund your program using grants, note that many organisations will not give grants for ongoing operations. It may be best to seek a grant for seed funding i.e. for a specific project to get the peer support program up and running, then use other forms of funding to cover ongoing operating costs. Seed funding may be available from a number of different types of organisations depending on who takes an interest in your area. In looking for funding sources, remember to consider:

• Various arms of state and federal governments including those with an interest in health, self-help and disability[vi],
• Local councils,
• Individual benefactors,
• Hospital auxiliaries,
• Health promotion organisations,
• Philanthropic trusts,
• Drug companies or other corporations, and
• Local businesses.
  

Some groups may not be able to provide financial support but may have useful in-kind goods and services that they would be happy to offer the program.

If your organisation has a broader scope than peer support, you will also need to consider how the peer support program is best integrated with other activities and goals of the organisation, for example.

• What other services can or should be offered to volunteers and peers?
• Can the administration of the program use tools from other areas (such as a database to manage contacts information)?

• Home
• Best Practice Framework
• How Can Peer Support Help?
• Members’ Directory
• Further Resources