How Does Peer Support Work?
Peer Support is a voluntary program for employees and their families. Assistance can be provided in a variety of ways. It can be done through a Peer Support Liaison response to an OIS/Critical Incident, or simply a call to provide resources for the mental and physical health of an employee or their family.
Employee participation with Peer Support is confidential with these exceptions:
- If the person is an immediate threat to self or others
- The admission of a crime
No record of notification to Peer Support will be placed in the employee's personnel file and promotion or transfer opportunities will not be affected if the program is used to include the use of substance abuse program or suicidal issues.
Why You Should Notify Peer Support
- Officer Involved Shooting/Critical Incident
- Your employee has the following:
- Marital Conflict
- Alcohol/Drug Abuse
- Post Shooting Trauma
- Family/Child Concerns
- Grief/Loss
- Workplace Issues
- Stress and Anxiety
- Any concern you have for an employee or their family members' well being
- Arrest of employee
- Veteran Resources or Deployment assistance
How You Should Notify Peer Support
- Critical Incidents- Dispatch for call out
- Crisis Intervention - Dispatch for call out
- Employee arrested - Dispatch for call out
- Non-life threatening injuries to employees or family members, on and off duty - Email or call voicemail
- Employees personal issues - non-emergency - Email or call voicemail
- Death or serious bodily injury of employees or their family member - Dispatch for call out
- After hours, call dispatch if Peer Support is needed immediately for an on-call Director or Manager
What You Can Do as a Supervisor after Notifying Peer Support
- Check in with your employee via text, phone, email, or in person.
- Update Peer Support Manager of any concerns or new information.
- After hours, call dispatch Peer Support is needed immediately for an on-call Director or Manager
- Continue to hold your employee accountable
- Treat all employees equally
- Call Peer Support Manager for advice
- Complete SER in Blue Team
What Peer Support Does Not Do
- Give Peer Support time off
- Will not give any information regarding your employee after notification
- Does not tell the employee where the information came from
- Make determination for Crisis Intervention
- Facilitate transfers from employee's current position to another for the hardships or life changing events
- Determine Crisis Intervention of employee and assist chain of command if an employee should be Legal 2000.
What Peer Support Will Do
- Conduct squad incident debriefs
- Assist in navigating through resources including BHO (Behavioral Healthcare Options), counselors, and other available resources
- Participate/Attend squad training & briefings
Peer Support is here for all employees, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.