ReachOut PeerChat is an online, peer-led chat service designed to support young people who are facing mental health concerns and everyday challenges. This report summarises a 2024 developmental evaluation of the service. The evaluation demonstrates that ReachOut PeerChat is achieving significant positive outcomes that are consistent with its intended goals. 

The evaluation also highlights the unique and important role of peer work in the mental health sector. It demonstrates that lived experience is a powerful facilitator of validation and motivation that can encourage positive reframing and behaviour change.

Key findings

• 3 in 4 (74%) users reported feeling a little or a lot better after they chat with a ReachOut peer worker.
• Young people experienced reduced distress and felt less alone in their experiences.
• More than 4 in 5 PeerChat users (86%) reported experiencing at least one positive outcome during their session, including:
  • 70% felt increased confidence in discussing difficult issues
  • more than half of users reported learning or co-developing self-help strategies
  • 57% of users reported that since using PeerChat, they had tried the tips a peer worker had shared with them
  • 53% had tried other sources of mental health support following their session.