The main objective of UPSIDES is to widen access to peer support interventions for people with severe mental illness, by researching sustainable best practice in high-, middle- and low-resource settings. The UPSIDES project involves scientists, mental health professionals, peer workers and service users from six countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
https://www.upsides.org/
Objectives
https://www.upsides.org/project/
The aim of UPSIDES is to replicate and scale-up peer support interventions for people with severe mental illness, generating evidence of sustainable best practice in high-, middle- and low-resource settings, through mixed-methods implementation research. The objectives are:
To establish an international community of practice for peer support across high-, middle- and low-resource settings.
• A consortium of mental health researchers, providers and users will be established at eight study sites in six countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
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To conduct a situational analysis of existing peer support initiatives in the participating countries.
• To understand the current stage of development of peer support and identify organisational and cultural considerations of the peer support worker role which may impact development.
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To scale up peer support models with a focus on vulnerable populations where pilot initiatives already exist.
• By manualising existing interventions and building capacity in co-production and co-delivery of demonstrations.
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To contextualize and adapt peer support models for those sites where there are no peer support initiatives.
• By adapting existing tools, materials and strategies from demonstration centres to ensure cultural and situational appropriateness, or creating new ones, as needed.
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To rigorously evaluate inputs, processes and outcomes of implementation, including an assessment of process and contextual factors following a theory of change approach using mixed-methods.
• To conduct a multi-site randomized trial augmented with qualitative methods, which will assess user-, service- and system-level outcomes.
• To investigate active ingredients and key barriers and facilitators for research and practice.
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To distil from case studies evidence of best practice for dissemination to local, national and international stakeholders in order to maximise sustainability and spread.
• By engaging diverse national and local advisory boards including service users, carers, senior clinical staff members, representatives of Health Ministries, hospital directors, community leaders, and and a Communications Taskforce.