Peer Support Worker (Lived Experience)

AnglicareSA; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging options

Professional development programs

Employee wellbeing program

Parental leave

Job summary

AnglicareSA is seeking a Peer Support Worker (Lived Experience) to provide recovery‑oriented peer support within the Adelaide Universal Support Service. You will draw on your lived experience to build hope and facilitate connection, while promoting choice and self-determination for participants.

Based in Hindmarsh or nearby AnglicareSA site, the role offers flexibility to be FT or PT on a fixed-term contract to 30 June 2027, with opportunities to contribute to peer-informed practice and service

Qualifications

• Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work (essential) or commenced and plan to complete within an agreed timeframe.
• Own lived experience of suicidal distress or mental health challenges with ability to use this experience safely in peer work.
• Ability to build authentic, recovery-focused relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.

Responsibilities

• Provide safe, purposeful peer support using lived experience to aid recovery.
• Build authentic relationships with participants at the Adelaide Universal Support Service to promote wellbeing.
• Support participants to identify goals, strengths and access to services.
• Contribute to peer-informed practice and continuous service improvement.
• Maintain professional boundaries and adopt trauma-informed approaches.

Skills

Lived experience

Interpersonal skills

Education

Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work

Job description

So many lives. So many ways. One you.

50,000 lives and counting.

That's how many South Australians our people support each year.

As one of the state's leading not-for-profits, we're making a meaningful impact at scale. From foster care to aged care and everything in between, our services are as diverse as the people and communities we serve - and we're growing our reach for the future.

It takes a special kind of person to work in this sector. Someone with real compassion and care. Could that person be you?

Join us as a Peer Support Worker (Lived Experience), and be part of something bigger.

What you'll do

As a Peer Support Worker, you'll use your own lived and/or living experience of suicidal distress, mental health challenges, recovery, or supporting someone through suicidal distress to provide safe, purposeful and meaningful peer support.

You'll build genuine relationships with people accessing the Adelaide Universal Support Service, helping them recognise their strengths, identify what matters to them and build connections that support their wellbeing and recovery. You'll work alongside participants, not for them, supporting choice, self-determination and hope.

You'll also bring your lived experience perspective to the wider service, helping strengthen peer-informed practice, participant voice and continuous improvement.

This position is based at Hindmarsh (or a relevant AnglicareSA site, if closer to home), working on a fixed-term contract until 30th June 2027, flexibility to consider FT or PT working arrangements.

You'll be trusted to make a valuable impact by:

• Building authentic peer relationships that promote hope, connection, wellbeing and self-determination.
• Supporting participants from their first connection with the service to identify and pursue their goals, strengths, priorities and aspirations, while facilitating access to services, supports and community connections that align with their needs, preferences and choices.
• Using your lived and living experience thoughtfully and purposefully, maintaining professional boundaries and recognising that every person's experience is different.
• Providing recovery-oriented and trauma-informed support, responding appropriately to distress and working collaboratively with the broader team when concerns about participant safety arise.

What you’ll bring

To thrive in this role, you will have:

• Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work; or Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work commenced and willingness to complete within an agreed timeframe (essential)
• Your own lived and/or living experience of suicidal distress, mental health challenges, recovery, or supporting someone through suicidal distress, with the ability to use this experience safely and purposefully in peer work.
• The ability to build authentic, respectful and recovery-focused relationships while maintaining professional boundaries and confidentiality.

We would also love you to have:

• Mental Health First Aid and/or ASIST training.
• Experience working within a peer support, mental health, community services or similar environment.

Why AnglicareSA?

Your contribution here matters. We want you to see your impact every day, and we want you to feel valued for it.

Here's what you can expect in your career at AnglicareSA:

• So many lives, right here in SA: Our ripple effect starts with you. Whatever your role, you'll help find a way forward for the communities you live in and care about. That's something to be proud of.
• So many ways, for our clients and you: We support those in need in so many ways. For you, that means real opportunity to gain new knowledge and experiences and to explore the many pathways a career in our sector can take.
• So much compassion, and a place to belong: At AnglicareSA, you'll never feel alone. You'll lean on and learn from genuine people driven to do good, and you'll build relationships that last a lifetime.

More to enjoy:

• Make your pay go further with salary packaging options, including novated leasing, plus savings on health insurance, motor vehicles, opticians, pharmacy and gym memberships
• Grow your skills and career with learning programs, professional development pathways, and education assistance
• Live and work well with our employee wellbeing program, confidential employee assistance program, chaplaincy services, domestic and family violence support, and more
• Put your family first with paid parental leave (including superannuation), personal leave to care for family members and additional unpaid leave for caring responsibilities

Our impact starts with you

Join AnglicareSA, and help us change lives and communities.

At AnglicareSA, we proudly and gratefully bring together a team that is truly diverse - from lived experiences, to skills and knowledge, to perspectives and personality. We value the benefits this brings to the people who work with us and the communities we serve, and we strive to create a place where everyone - regardless of background and ability - feels they belong. If you require any accommodations to fully participate in our recruitment process, we welcome you to let us know.

We are committed to the employment of First Nations people. Please visit our website for details on our Aboriginal Services and to access AnglicareSA’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

AnglicareSA is committed to a secure and transparent recruitment process that prioritises the safety of all applicants. We will never request payment, bank account details, or personal identification documents during the early stages of recruitment. Proof of identity may be requested later as part of standard pre-employment checks. To verify the legitimacy of this job advertisement, please refer to our official website or contact our recruitment team directly.