Webinars

This event took place in English. 

This webinar was jointly presented by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health (NCCDH) and the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT).

Peer engagement is described by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) as “the active participation of people with lived experience … in different research, program, and policy decision-making processes.” [1, p.5] Peer engagement in public health work can provide valuable insight into opportunities for effective and meaningful public health action to address risk and preventive factors for substance use.

Understanding of peer engagement principles and practical considerations is necessary for public health to build meaningful relationships with communities with lived experience of substance use to inform the suitability and application of strategies to address health inequities.

Practical tools

This webinar explores the BCCDC document titled Peer engagement principles and best practices: A guide for BC health authorities and other providers as a practical tool to inform health system decisions and priorities to reduce substance use related harms.

Speakers from the Peer Engagement and Evaluation Project (PEEP) reflect on peer engagement principles and best practices for working with communities with lived experience of inequities and substance use. We also highlight practical considerations for the application of peer engagement principles, including how to address issues of stigma and trust and sharing decision-making power.

Listeners will learn about

• peer engagement principles for working with communities who experience inequities in substance use harms;
• practice-informed considerations for engaging with peers in authentic and ongoing ways; and
• application of peer engagement principles to inform decisions and priorities of health authority initiatives to address substance use and health equity.

Speakers

Dianne Oickle, Knowledge Translation Specialist, NCCDH	Kristin Read, Research Coordinator, NCCMT
Charlene Burmeister, BCCDC People with Lived and Living Experience Stakeholder Engagement Lead	Paul Choisil

Related resources

Peer engagement principles and best practices: A guide for BC health authorities and other providers (2017)	Webinar recording: Informing public health programs through engagement with communities that live with health inequities (2019)
Driving forward health equity – the role of accountability, policy coherence, social participation and empowerment (2019)	Towards healthy homes for all: What the RentSafe findings mean for public health in Canada (2018)

Reference:

[1] Greer, A.M., Amlani, A.A., Buxton, J.A. & the PEEP team. (2017). Peer Engagement Best Practices: A Guide for Health Authorities and other providers. Vancouver, BC: BC Centre for Disease Control.