260 – Peer Support Network
I. Purpose
The Peer Support Network provides all employees the opportunity to receive support in times of personal or professional need and following on-duty critical or traumatic incidents. The value of peer support is founded on shared professional experiences, background, and history. To provide a proactive and effective extension of professional, supportive services, members of the Peer Support Network are specially trained to assist fellow employees by providing information, guidance, advice, referrals, and consultation/liaison with professional services, such as behavioral health professionals or chaplains. Further, in the event of critical incidents or crisis events, Certified Peer Supporters within the Peer Support Network provide psychological first aid and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) – a widely endorsed model of crisis intervention tactics to best respond to the needs of a given situation developed by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF).
II. Definitions
A. Peer Support Network: An umbrella term referencing all personnel working within the network (e.g., Certified Peer Supporters, Blue Dots, Peer Support Coordinator(s), the Behavioral Health Division Director) who work together to facilitate support during times of personal and professional need.
B. Peer Supporters: A general term referring to all personnel within the Peer Support Network who are trained to recognize early signs of emotional distress and help identify incidents requiring intervention or additional support.
C. Certified Peer Supporters: Volunteer members of the HCSO, (both sworn and professional), who have completed the agency required Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) approach training, and are trained to refer cases requiring specialized intervention to the appropriate mental health professional (e.g., the HCSO Behavioral Health Division).
D. Blue Dots: Representatives who extend and augment the activities of Certified Peer Supporters by providing a presence within their unit or workplace. Blue Dots are trained to recognize early signs of emotional distress and help facilitate contact with a Certified Peer Supporter and/or Peer Support Liaison. Distinctly, Blue Dots have not yet completed the agency required CISM approach training to become a Certified Peer Supporter.
E. Peer Support Liaisons: Volunteers who act as an intermediary between Peer Support Coordinator(s) and Peer Supporters present within each Peer Support Liaison’s respective command to aid participation in trainings and effective crisis intervention responses. A minimum of one (1) Peer Support Liaison is present within every HCSO Command.
F. Peer Support Coordinators: Reports to and assists the Behavioral Health Division Director in organizing general Peer Support Network operations, trainings, referrals, and documentation.
G. Peer Support Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM): CISM is a comprehensive, integrative, multicomponent crisis intervention system. CISM is considered comprehensive because it consists of multiple crisis intervention components, which functionally span the entire temporal spectrum of a crisis.
CISM interventions range from the pre-crisis phase through the acute crisis phase, and into the post-crisis phase. CISM is also considered comprehensive in that it consists of interventions which may be applied to individuals, small functional groups, large groups, families, organizations, and even communities.
The 7 core components of CISM are defined below:
1. Pre-crisis preparation – This includes stress management education, stress resistance, and crisis mitigation training for both individuals and organizations.
2. Disaster or large-scale incident, as well as, school and community support programs including demobilizations, informational briefings, “town meetings” and staff advisement.
3. Defusing – This is a 3-phase, structured small group discussion provided within hours of a crisis for purposes of assessment, triaging, and acute symptom mitigation.
4. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) refers to the “Mitchell model” (Mitchell and Everly, 1996) 7-phase, structured group discussion, usually provided 1 to 10 days post crisis, and designed to mitigate acute symptoms, assess the need for follow-up, and if possible, provide a sense of post-crisis psychological closure.
5. One-on-one crisis intervention/counseling or psychological support throughout the full range of the crisis spectrum.
6. Family crisis intervention, as well as, organizational consultation.
7. Follow-up and referral mechanisms for assessment and treatment, if necessary
III. Policy
A. The Peer Support Network is augmented by professional mental health services delivered through and/or coordinated by the Behavioral Health Division (BHD) of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office as well as the spiritual support from departmental and volunteer chaplains. Peer Support Network members do not provide professional services, such as mental health diagnoses, mental health treatment, psychological assessment, or any other activity constituting the practice of psychotherapy under state law.
B. Serving as a member of the Peer Support Network is an ancillary, voluntary duty assignment (unless explicitly assigned as a paid position). Certified Peer Supporters and Blue Dots provide peer support services in addition to their regular work assignments. Certified Peer Supporters and Blue Dots record their time when functioning as a Peer Supporter as “hours worked.” At the discretion of their Supervisor, Peer Support Network members may conduct peer support activities during a regular duty day and/or when off-duty and called upon as Peer Supporters.
C. All Peer Support Network contacts are voluntary for employees; no one may mandate that an employee seek peer support services.
D. A breach of confidentiality, as described in Section VI.E. of this policy, by a Peer Support Network member, is a violation of this policy and will be grounds for dismissal from the program, as well as any appropriate internal investigation and discipline.
IV. Roles and Responsibilities
A. The Sheriff
1. Promotes a culture of wellness and communicates through the Chain of Command (CoC), the expectations for involvement in and support of Peer Support Network activities, including support for training needs and participation in peer support and interventions.
2. Delegates authority to the Behavioral Health Division (BHD) Director to oversee and supervise the Peer Support Network, including selection and composition of its membership.
B. The Behavioral Health Division (BHD) Director
1. Serves as, or appoints, a Licensed Mental Health Provider staff member to serve as the Peer Support Network Mental Health Director.
2. Selects and advises the Peer Support Coordinator(s).
3. Drafts Peer Support Network policies, procedures, guidelines, directives, etc.
4. Reviews the operation and use of the Peer Support Network, and with input from the Peer Support Coordinator(s), recommends modifications to the Peer Support Network regarding network composition, training, and operations.
C. Peer Support Coordinator(s)
1. Under the Behavioral Health Division (BHD) Director’s guidance, oversees daily Peer Support Network operations, including activation of the Certified Peer Supporters to provide CISM responses to critical incidents.
2. Consults with the BHD Director and BHD staff.
3. Recruits and coordinate(s) the screening of Peer Support Network applicants.
4. Coordinates the selection, initial training, and ongoing periodic training of Peer Support Network Members.
5. Provides referrals for individual clinical supervision of Peer Supporters;
6. Facilitates Peer Support Network meetings.
7. Maintains records, statistics, and other program documentation.
8. Coordinates the implementation of CISM interactive and informational group interventions.
9. Provides oversight for Peer Support Network activities and 24/7 consultation to the Peer Support Network regarding crisis responses and next level of care mental health referrals.
10. Assists in the selection and interview process for Peer Support Network members.
11. Ensures that follow-up services are identified and offered to employees in need.
12. Ensures confidentiality under applicable statutes.
13. Compiles de-identified data received from each command regarding Peer Support Network activities (e.g., number of contacts, number of Peer Support Network activities) and reports this information to the BHD Director.
D. Peer Support Liaison(s)
1. Acts as the intermediary between the Peer Support Coordinator(s) and other Peer Support Network members within their respective commands (Each HCSO Command will have a minimum of one (1) Liaison).
2. Facilitates participation in Peer Support Network activities within their respective commands.
3. Compiles de-identified data regarding Peer Support Network Activities (e.g., number of contacts, number of Peer Support Network activities) within their respective commands and reports this data to Peer Support Coordinator(s).
E. Certified Peer Supporters
1. Volunteer members of the Sheriff’s Office who are trained according to the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation’s (ICISF) Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) approach, psychological first aid, and other related topics. Peer Supporters are not counselors or therapists and are trained to refer cases requiring specialized intervention to the appropriate mental health professional.
2. Attend periodic trainings and other required meetings.
3. Endeavor to recognize when emotional or behavioral danger signs are evident in co-workers, recognize when a peer is involved in a personal or professional crisis, and provide effective, ethical, and appropriate support and intervention methods.
4. Build and maintain wellness-focused initiatives through scheduled outreach, Peer Support Network member recruitment, encouraging training participation, and networking activities.
F. Blue Dots
1. Volunteer unit representatives (called “Blue Dots”) who are advocates for active bystandership, health, and overall wellness throughout the HCSO.
2. Blue Dots extend and augment the activity of the Certified Peer Supporters by providing a presence in a unit, workplace, or shift which may not have a Certified Peer Supporter assigned.
3. Blue Dots are trained to recognize early on when emotional danger signs are evident and to identify crisis incidents/situations which would benefit a response from a Certified Peer Supporter, and will contact their command’s Peer Support Liaison to facilitate additional intervention.
V. Service Model
A. Peer support services are available at an employee’s request, proactively, or in response to critical incidents.
B. With the Peer Support Network in existence, all members of the HCSO are encouraged to contact a member of the Peer Support Network or a supervisor when they become aware of an individual who is in need of assistance.
C. The Peer Support Network members, positioned throughout HCSO, recognize when co-workers are involved in personal or professional need and provide individualized support within their scope of training, to include independently accessing guidance from Peer Support coordinators and/or clinical consultation/supervision from the Director as needed.
D. The Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) model guides the training and response of the Peer Support Network to critical incidents. To ensure effective implementation, all CISM informational or group responses must be coordinated through the Peer Support Coordinator(s).
VI. Procedures
A. Individual Support
1. Any employee seeking support is encouraged to do so through any Peer Support Network contact they have made through their unit or workplace. Alternatively, the Emergency Dispatch Center (EDC) maintains a roster/callout rotation for the Peer Support Network, which will be provided to any employee upon request.
2. A Supervisor or peer may recognize an employee who could benefit from assistance or guidance with a personal concern or issue and may contact a Peer Support Network member or the Peer Support Coordinator(s) via the Emergency Dispatch Center (EDC) to “refer” that employee for services. Peer Support Network services are voluntary and confidential, and the employee may accept or decline any offer of support upon contact.
3. In the event of a critical incident (see VI.B. below), Blue Dots, Certified Peer Supporters, and Peer Support Liaisons must notify the Peer Support Coordinator(s) to receive guidance for all service requests.
4. At no time are individual peer support services to interfere with, in any way, ongoing investigations or agency administrative procedures. Peer Support Network members are expected to resolve issues or conflicts that may arise between themselves and department investigators, supervisors, or administrators by working towards cooperation, understanding, and education, while at the same time maintaining strict confidentiality regarding their contacts. In cases where such resolution is not respectfully and readily achieved, they are to contact the Peer Support Coordinator(s) immediately for assistance.
B. Certified Peer Support Member Activation
1. An on-duty Certified Peer Supporter will be contacted via the EDC by employees, supervisors, or Command Staff after any incident or event that has the potential to create significant psychological distress. If no Certified Peer Supporter is on-duty, then EDC will contact the on-call Behavioral Health Division (BHD) clinician.
2. EDC will contact the individuals above as soon as possible in a critical incident listed below:
a. Uses of Force resulting in death or serious bodily injury,
b. Deaths in custody,
c. Witness to a suicide or death by other gruesome means,
d. Employee injury resulting in hospitalization or death,
e. Multiple Fatality Accident, (3 or more), or fatalities of children under the age of 12,
f. Mass casualty incident or incident which activates the emergency management system,
g. Death of employee or a family member of an employee, or
h. An arrest of an employee.
The on-duty Certified Peer Supporter, upon consultation with the supervisor on scene, will advise the Peer Support Coordinator(s) whether a coordinated Peer Support Network response is recommended.
C. Peer Support Liaison Ongoing Interactions with Unit-Level Peer Supporters
1. Each Peer Support Liaison, is assigned by the Peer Support Coordinator(s), a list of unit Blue Dots which they will be required to contact periodically to disseminate information about peer support services. They will also answer questions and learn about unit needs or stressors.
2. In addition to the above, these interactions facilitate an effective network by ensuring communication and positive relationships between Peer Supporters and units that may not have a Certified Peer Supporter assigned.
D. Ethics
1. Members of the Peer Support Network are expected to interact with and serve all HCSO employees and their families respectfully, equally, and with the utmost ethical and professional conduct.
2. Members of the Peer Support Network avoid dual relationships, such as engaging in peer support relationships with their supervisors, subordinates, or relatives.
3. Members of the Peer Support Network must abide by all applicable provisions of the HCSO Peer Support Code of Conduct.
E. Confidentiality
1. Peer Support Network contacts and the resulting information is confidential, pursuant to Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 784, and any other applicable laws.
2. This formal confidentiality policy statement provides written assurance that, within the limits of confidentiality, members of the Peer Support Network will not be asked to give information about employees to whom they provide support.
3. All Peer Support Network members will sign and be familiar with this written confidentiality policy.
4. The written policy will provide the protection and limitations of confidentiality. This policy is consistent with applicable state and federal laws and includes the following requirements to disclose:
a. When a person poses an imminent danger to themselves or others; when there is reasonable cause to believe abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, person 65 years of age or older, or person with disabilities,
b. In other cases where the law or department policy requires disclosure,
c. Where requested by the peer,
d. Commissioned personnel may also be required to report substantial violations of policy and violations of the law due to the oath taken as a sworn peace officer. This may include:
i. Narcotics offenses (e.g., sales, transportation, cultivation, or manufacturing),
ii. Felonies (crimes against persons),
iii. All Penal Code violations committed on duty,
iv. Matters that would jeopardize the safety of the public or other public servants.
5. Peer Supporters will inform recipients of Peer Support Network services of the limits of confidentiality and when confidentiality exceptions occur prior to initiating any services. Additionally, Peer Supporters will consider potential role conflicts, such as supervisors who are Peer Support Network members and may provide support to subordinates. This is best done by providing the potential recipient with an approved HCSO Peer Support Network Confidentiality Card, answering any questions, and gaining verbal consent prior to providing services.
6. The only information the County, State, or Sheriff’s Office Administration may request is de-identified statistical information concerning the number of contacts and the number of Peer Support Network activities.
7. Peer Support Network members will keep numerical records of their contacts but will not keep records that include names or specific contact information. Peer Support Network members will keep information about their contacts secure.
F. Consultation with Mental Health Professionals
1. Peer Support Network members have twenty-four (24) hour-a-day access to confidential consultation with a Licensed Mental Health Provider regarding crisis response services and next-level-of-care mental health referrals via the HCSO Behavioral Health Division (BHD). These services can be accessed through the EDC by requesting a call back from the BHD mental health professional currently on-call.
2. Peer Support Network members are aware of the limitations of their training and seek advice and counsel from the Peer Support Coordinator(s) and/or a licensed mental health provider when determining when to disqualify themselves from working with individuals who present signs or symptoms beyond the scope of their training or role, and for other reasons at their discretion.
3. In addition to consultation, the BHD Director will serve as a subject matter expert for the Peer Support Coordinator(s) in keeping abreast of current research, theories, and techniques, as well as working closely with the Peer Support Coordinator(s) to develop training curricula and providing or coordinating initial and periodic training for the Peer Support Network.
G. Peer Support Network Selection Process
1. Employees interested in volunteering as Peer Support Network members will complete an application for membership. Candidates will be selected from employees who are in good standing with the HCSO and are respected by their peers.
2. Peer Support Network candidates can also be nominated by a Supervisor.
3. Persons from all ranks are encouraged to apply to participate in the Peer Support Network.
4. Considerations for selection as a Peer Support Network member can include, but are not limited to the following:
a. An initial recommendation from a current Peer Support Network member,
b. A minimum of one (1) year at the Sheriff’s Office,
c. An application presented to the Peer Support Coordinator(s),
d. Acceptable job performance ratings,
e. Recommendations by Supervisor and co-workers,
f. No significant history of adverse disciplinary actions, or
g. Acceptance by the Peer Support Coordinator(s).
5. To become a Certified Peer Supporter, the Peer Support Coordinator(s) will facilitate the selection process by arranging for a panel interview. The interview panel will consist of the Peer Support Coordinator(s), a HCSO Behavioral Health Division clinician, and other Peer Support Network members as deemed appropriate by the interview panel.
H. Training
1. Foundational Skills: Peer Support Network members are expected to remain current on required professional and department-mandated trainings, especially trainings associated with wellness, resiliency, and recognizing signs and symptoms of distress (e.g., CIT trainings, ABLE).
2. Initial Training: The HCSO Certified Peer Supporters adhere to a widely accepted model of crisis intervention – Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) – offered through the International Critical Stress Foundation (ICISF). Upon selection as a Certified Peer Supporter, Certified Peer Supporters will be provided two basic courses in CISM delivered by an ICISF Approved Instructor: (1) Assisting Individuals in Crisis and (2) Group Crisis Intervention. Additional advanced trainings in CISM are strongly encouraged.
3. Periodic Training/Network Meetings: Peer Support Network members are expected to advance and refresh their skills through continued training. The Peer Support Coordinator(s) and the BHD Director will provide ongoing training at regular meetings. The structure of each Peer Support Network meeting will include the following:
a. Review and discussion of Peer Support Network response activity since the previous meeting, including attention to specific situations, types of interventions, the effectiveness of response, and any lessons learned.
i. No information that could identify individual contacts will be recorded or discussed during Peer Support Network meetings, including any personal identifying information as well as providing a level of detail that could reasonably be expected to identify the individual.
b. Discussion of Peer Support Network general business, including any new policies or procedures and/or review of any previously existing policies or procedures relevant to recent network activity.
c. Identification of upcoming Peer Support Network training activities. Training topics are chosen based upon relevant response activity, evolving needs of the Peer Support Network members, or identified training needs by the Peer Support Coordinator(s) or the BHD Director. A list of relevant training topics is available upon request.
4. Other Supplemental Training: The Peer Support Coordinator(s) will coordinate access to opportunities for supplemental training for Peer Support Network members as available, including advanced crisis intervention and wellness trainings (e.g., CISM, psychological first aid, suicide prevention).
5. Peer Support Network members are expected to attend all regular network meetings and are encouraged to attend supplementary training as available. In the event it is impossible to attend a regular meeting, a Peer Support Network member may make up the training portion by reviewing training slides; however, a Certified Peer Supporter should attend at least two (2) trainings per year.
I. Revocations and Suspensions
1. Peer Support Network membership can be revoked or suspended by the Peer Support Coordinator(s) after consultation with the BHD Director. Reasons for revocation or suspensions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
a. Failure to maintain strict confidentiality regarding personal identifiers of those who request or receive services, and any information obtained during peer support interventions,
b. Inappropriate relationships, as defined by the Peer Support Network Code of Ethics or the HCSO policy,
c. Failure to follow Peer Support Network protocols and directives,
d. Acting on behalf of the Peer Support Coordinator(s) and/or BHD Director without the prior knowledge and permission of the coordinator(s)/Director,
e. Continued or excessive absence from Peer Support Network activities, meetings, or training,
f. Acting against the expressed direction of the Peer Support Network coordinator(s) or a mental health professional,
g. Failure to complete the required paperwork within established timeframes, or
h. Losing good standing with the Sheriff’s Office and/or co-workers.
2. Membership in the Peer Support Network is a voluntary, ancillary position, and there is no mandatory rotation out of the position. At any time, a member may request to leave the Peer Support Network or request a leave of absence by submitting a memorandum to the Peer Support Coordinator(s). If a leave of absence is requested, the memo should include an estimated time to return.
3. Peer Support Network members will have a retention review annually to determine their ongoing suitability to be a Peer Supporter. The review will be conducted by the Peer Support Network Coordinator(s) and/or the BHD Director, and will include the following components:
a. Confirmation that the Peer Supporter desires to stay on the team for another year,
b. Attendance (or excused absence) at mandatory meetings and training,
c. Whether a Peer Supporter has violated this policy in the prior year,
d. Concerns about suitability for continued service from the psychologist providing clinical supervision.
4. The Peer Supporter will advise the Peer Support Coordinator(s) of any changes in contact information and any training or specialties that the Peer Supporter receives.
Revision
This policy has been revised on the below listed dates:
December 11, 2024.