Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland
People at the Centre

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Community Capacity Building and Peer Support

Area: Self management

Building Capacity in Communities and harnessing the power of lived experience through peer support working.

Community Capacity Building

Community capacity building describes a particular way of working with and supporting communities – to build people’s skills and experience, increase opportunities, and enhance involvement in the decisions that affect them.

Building capacity is at the heart of community development and community empowerment. When communities are well organised, inclusive, influential and cohesive they create a positive environment for people to enjoy a good quality of life.

Peer Support Working

The Scottish Recovery Network (this link will take you away from our website) explains that Peer Support is a way of sharing our common humanity, based on respect, responsibility and mutuality.  Peer support harnesses the experience and expertise of people with lived experience to support people in similar circumstances.  It can bring hope to those at an earlier stage of their journey, provide social support to increase resilience and is an opportunity for people to make a contribution to others through the skills and experience they have gained.  People in recovery from mental health problems have always shared their experience of recovery and mental health to offer mutual support and learning and peer support.