Facilitator Training Information

Girl and boy reading Peer Skills booklet The Peer Skills Facilitator Training is designed for workers who wish to implement the Peer Skills Workshop and peer work programs as a part of their role within schools or agencies, working with young people.

The Peer Skills Facilitator Training is run over two full consecutive days for workers:

with relevant skills and experience.
whose agencies have entered into a partnership relationship with UnitingCare Community to undertake delivery of the Peer Skills Workshop.

The Peer Skills Workshop

The Peer Skills Workshop was developed by Boystown’s national telephone counselling service, Kids Help Line, in 1994 in response to young callers concerns about how to best help their friends.

The Peer Skills Workshop is a two day interactive learning experience designed to acknowledge and build on the natural listening, helping and problem solving skills of young people. The workshop helps young people develop their relationship skills and increases their confidence in safely assisting a friend or peer who is experiencing a problem.

The program focuses on a prevention model, using an experiential style of learning based on the philosophy of empowerment. It is child centred in its approach.

Peer Skills is designed to be run as a workshop taking two full consecutive days (9am - 3pm) to complete with an optimal group size between 12 and 16 participants.

The workshops target young people aged 12 to 18 with importance placed on the age mix of groups. Our experience shows the safest learning seems to happen when there is less than two to three years difference in ages.

The Peer Skills Workshop is also designed to be used by schools and agencies as a foundation training for peer based programs and structures that will assist in the development of supportive networks in schools and communities.

To register a workshop, please fill in and return the Peer Skills Workshop Registration and Resource Order Form.

Peer Skills Facilitators: Essential Criteria

Strong commitment to working with young people
Understanding of issues facing young people
Experience in group facilitation
Able to articulate understanding of client-centred practice
Basic understanding of the counselling process
Understanding of adolescent development

Peer Skills Facilitators: Desired Criteria

Two years experience working with young people
Experience as a group facilitator with young people
Demonstrate empowerment experience
Demonstrate client-centred practice experience
Qualification in relevant discipline

Peer Skills Facilitators: Principal Objectives

to co-facilitate Peer Skills Workshops (a workshop requires two facilitators)
to ensure the Peer Skills Workshops for young people are of the highest standard
to ensure the Peer Skills Workshops and associated peer programs reflect the philosophy, rationale and objectives of UnitingCare Community and the Peer Skills Program

Points for Consideration

Peer Skills Facilitator Training is conducted in response to community demand.
Participation and attendance is required for all of the two days of training.
Training is restricted to groups of up to 16 participants.
Training is interactive and experiential requiring a willingness to work openly and respectfully in large and small groups.
Participation and attendance in the two-day training does not guarantee a facilitation role with the Peer Skills Program.
On the final day of training all participants will present part of the Peer Skills program and will receive feedback as a part of this process.
Participants will, as a minimum, meet essential criteria requirements to become a Peer Skills facilitator.
The role of Peer Skills facilitator is undertaken as a part of the core work with the employee’s agency or school.

Partnership Agreement Information

A Partnership Agreement is negotiated between UnitingCare Community Peer Skills program and the school or agency representative.

The Partnership Agreement will be fair, manageable and congruent with the work guidelines and philosophies of both agencies.

The Partnership Agreement will be agreed to and finalised before the commencement of the Peer Skills Facilitator Training program.

Participants attending the Facilitator Training program will be made aware of the Partnership Agreement as it applies to their agency and the roles and responsibilities of all parties within that agreement. Please see the Peer Skills Partnership Agreement document for more information.

Peer Skills Facilitator Training

Covers content, format and process of the Peer Skills Workshop for young people.
Underpins principles, child-centred practice and empowerment.
Is experiential learning.
Promotes effective peer work program principles and processes.
The expectations of the Peer Skills Facilitator role and responsibility.

Statement of Attainment Certificates will only be issued to trainees who have successfully completed all aspects of the training course and who are assessed as competent.

What’s in it for you?

Professional development opportunity facilitated by experienced Peer Skills Workshop Facilitators.
Access to Peer Skills Facilitator Training online resources and Peer Skills network.
An opportunity to build relationships with other service providers.
An opportunity to enhance and extend the important work you already undertake with young people.

Course Costs

Information on course costs and proposed dates can be obtained from the francesca [dot] lejeune [at] uccommunity [dot] org [dot] au (Peer Skills Manager). Costs include:

Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for the two days of training.
Peer Skills Facilitator Training Manual.
Peer Skills Network Membership which includes access to Peer Skills program resources, program support and information.

Payment must be sent on confirmation of a place in the training.

If enrolment is cancelled prior to commencement of course, a $20 admin fee is deducted.

If withdrawal notification is provided three weeks prior to training, a 50 per cent refund will be provided. For withdrawals less than three weeks before training, no refund will be provided unless the training place can be filled.

For more information and to register, please contact the francesca [dot] lejeune [at] uccommunity [dot] org [dot] au (Peer Skills Manager).