Assuming that sufficient political and community support are generated, there can be considerable enthusiasm for the expansion of peer support around the globe. Peer leaders are encouraged, however, to develop and deliver peer support both with integrity to its founding values in a civil rights and social justice framework and with responsiveness to local cultural worldviews.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline what peer support is, covering its history, variations and benefits, then goes on to discuss what the challenges have been to authenticity and what the future holds for peer support. Design/methodology/approach – The authors argue for the necessity of service user leadership in peer support based on both the Service User Involvement Directorate’s (SUID’s) experience and UK-wide learning. Findings – Peer support brings wellbeing and confidence benefits both to the supporter and the supported. However, the lack of understanding of what peer support is, the current climate of austerity and over-professionalisation can threaten the transformational power of genuine peer support. Research limitations/implications – Peer support is always evolving, and there are areas like the criminal justice service and secure services where more work needs to be done. Practical implications – Commissioners/funders of mental health services should recognise the value of peer support and its potential for better wellbeing outcomes, while understanding the necessity of service user leadership to maximise its beneficial potential. Originality/value – The paper looks at peer support at the point in time a decade after the formation of the SUID at Together and four years since the UK mental health strategy No Health Without Mental Health (Department of Health, 2011) and explores the challenges faced at a time when the value of peer support is generally accepted in legislation.

Purpose – This paper outlines the concept of service user leadership and both describes and reflects on an accredited training programme that enables mental health service users to take a leadership role. Design/methodology/approach – The authors argue for a service user leadership approach and the training programme is reviewed by previous participants Findings – Service users can take on a leadership role if they are given suitable and relevant training and development opportunities. Service user led training can be transformational. Practical implications – Commissioners of mental health services should consider how to support service user leadership programmes, which can reach places and achieve outcomes that traditional mental health services are unable to attain. Originality/value – The concept of service user leadership is relatively new and the training programme described in this paper is both original and highly valued by participants with many significant outcomes.

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IntroductionWe are a new generation of service users and consumers who recognise our power and strength: a generation recognising our distress, a generation that is unifying and coming up with new ways to recover from problems that previously seemed unsolvable. Our actual experience of recovery becomes the source of our group's leadership. To nurture the emergence of our leadership, we have had to develop our own structure. We have found that networking is the best way for us to develop our leadership capacity. We formed our group in August 2007 at the IIMHL conference. We named our group Interrelate to emphasise the principles of equality, respect and mutual learning upon which we are founded. The mission statement of Interrelate is: