Terms and Conditions of Peer Support

Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before participating in this service. These terms of service govern your access to, and use of Pregnancy Sickness Support’s peer support service. This service is for your use only on the condition you agree to the terms of use set below. If you do not agree to all the terms of use, please do not apply for the peer support service as any participation in this service will constitute acceptance of this agreement.

Please also read our privacy policy. Any participation in this service will constitute acceptance of our privacy policy.

OUR COMMITMENTS

Pregnancy Sickness Support’s (PSS) Peer support service is defined as a relationship between a volunteer recruited by PSS and a service user (“you”/ “your”) for ongoing emotional support via text/WhatsApp/phone call and/or email. You can access this service at any point during, and for the duration of your pregnancy.

We commit to the volunteer peer supporter having undergone the appropriate training set
out by PSS to undertake the role of peer supporter. We commit to the volunteer peer supporter being made aware of the appropriate policies such as safeguarding, confidentiality, GDPR and privacy to undertake the role of peer supporter.

We commit to match you with a volunteer peer supporter within 5 working days of your application. This may take longer if you do not respond to the support teams request for further information or attend an initial interview with the Helpline Support Manager.

The volunteer peer supporter will contact you within 48 hours of PSS-HQ making a match for you.

We aim to match a volunteer peer supporter to you based on similar experiences and/or
background. We can match based on location if you prefer.

YOUR COMMITMENTS

• In return for our commitment to provide the service we require you to make the below
  commitments to us.
• You will have an initial consultation/interview with the Helpline Support Manager or
  Volunteer Manager
• You agree to communicate respectfully with your peer supporter.
• You agree not to ask a peer supporter for money, gifts, or other means of financial or
  material support.
• You agree to contact your peer supporter a minimum of once a month, if no contact
  is made for longer than two months then we reserve the right to terminate the
  service.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

Whilst our service is there for emotional support, peer support does not replace other talking therapies or treatments. If you feel you would benefit from mental health support, please speak to your GP or midwife who can make a referral to the peri-natal mental health team.

The peer supporter is a volunteer, this is an unpaid role. They will not be available at all hours. There may be a delay in their replies to you, but please be reassured that this is likely due to the peer supporter having their own life and work commitments and they will endeavour to reply to you within 24-48 hours. Upon commencing your peer support, your peer supporter will let you know of any time boundaries before you begin. If you feel you have consistently waited longer than a reasonable amount of time for a reply, then a group support chat might be more appropriate, and this is something that we can arrange.

While every effort is made to make a good match for you, we do understand some peer support matches do not work out and we can rematch you if this is the case.

In these circumstances, we can match you with another volunteer or again look to a group chat environment. To make changes to your peer support arrangements please contact [email protected]

If you would like to make a complaint about the peer support service, please contact the Volunteer Manager at [email protected]. If your complaint involves the Volunteer Manager please contact the CEO, [email protected]

TERMINATION OF SERVICE

If you wish to end your peer support, please contact either the Helpline Support Manager or the Volunteer Manager. If there has been no contact from you for two months, we reserve the right to end your peer support.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MODIFY AND AMEND THE TERMS OF PEER SUPPORT SERVICE.