Peer Worker - Auburn

Work Initiatives; North Sydney; On-site; AUD 80,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Optional monthly Accrued Day Off (ADO)

Generous leave entitlements

Annual leave loading 17.5%

Flexible work arrangements

Professional development and coaching

Learning and development programs

Fitness Passport membership

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

Neami National in Australia is seeking Peer Workers to support people facing mental health and wellbeing challenges. You will draw on your lived experience of recovery to provide emotional and social support, run one-on-one sessions and lead peer-led groups within transdisciplinary teams.

Guided by Intentional Peer Support and the National Lived Experience Workforce Guidelines, you will contribute to service improvement, uphold confidentiality, and participate in supervision and ongoing

Qualifications

• Essential lived experience of distress, trauma, or substance use and recovery.
• Ability to engage effectively with people in distress or crisis.
• Ability to work autonomously, adapt communication, and maintain confidentiality.
• Commitment to personal and professional development and reflective practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional and social support through one-on-one peer support.
• Facilitate peer-led groups and contribute to transdisciplinary teamwork.
• Support practice with lived experience perspective and foster connection.
• Engage in line management support, supervision and peer learning activities.

Skills

Personal lived experience

Discipline communication

Confidentiality

Self-reflection

Computer literacy

Job description

For all people in Australia living with mental health and wellbeing challenges to live a life that is meaningful to them.

• Full Time or Part Time Permanent
• Classification: SCHADS Level 3 with a salary range of $80,087 - $85,877 per annum (pro rata if part-time) + Superannuation
• Salary packaging arrangements providing tax benefits available for living and entertainment expenses increasing your take home income where part of your wage is paid tax free each pay, savings thousands in tax each year

For all people in Australia living with mental health and wellbeing challenges to live a life that is meaningful to them.

Position Details

• Full Time or Part Time Permanent
• Classification: SCHADS Level 3 with a salary range of $80,087 - $85,877 per annum (pro rata if part-time) + Superannuation
• Salary packaging arrangements providing tax benefits available for living and entertainment expenses increasing your take home income where part of your wage is paid tax free each pay, savings thousands in tax each year
• Location: Auburn Medicare Mental Health Centre, Western Sydney NSW

About your new role

Peer Workers draw on their own life-changing lived experience of distress, trauma and/or substance use, and their journey of recovery and healing, to support consumers who face similar challenges to their health and wellbeing.

Guided by Intentional Peer Support (IPS) and the National Lived Experience Workforce Guidelines, PWs provide consumer-led emotional, social, and service support through one-on-one peer support, facilitating peer-led groups, and transdisciplinary teamwork. In their work, they emphasise connection, mutuality and support consumers to explore worldviews and move toward what is meaningful to the consumer.

As well as purposeful use of personal lived experience, PWs draw on the broader collective Lived Experience history and social movements to explore and understand the impacts of stigma, discrimination and systemic harm. PWs play a vital role in continuous service improvement by integrating and elevating lived experience perspectives.

Drawing on strong relational and self-reflection skills, PWs apply the Lived Experience Lens perspective individual relationships, team processes, and service collaborations. As key members of transdisciplinary teams, PWs compliment and enrich the professional knowledge and skills of staff from other disciplines.

To support practice and professional growth, PWs engage in line management support, discipline specific supervision (where available), co-reflection, and peer community of practice. These structures nurture confidence, connection, and the development of peer work practice.

About Neami National

We're Neami. We're big believers in everyone having the opportunity to live a full life. We support people to achieve wellbeing and mental health outcomes that matter to them. We provide services across Australia for mental health and wellbeing, housing and homelessness, and suicide prevention.

For some people, this means having a stronger sense of self. For others, it may mean nurturing relationships or building the confidence to tackle tomorrow. We support people to improve their quality of life in a way that suits them.

We're proud to support 34,000+ people living with mental health challenges each year across Australia and offer services over 40 different Indigenous lands.

Values

Together with our vision and purpose, our values define who we are and guide the way we operate. They are fundamental to our identity, and we align all our actions with them.

• Connecting
• Collaborating
• Learning
• Belonging

What will Neami offer

• Optional monthly Accrued Day Off (ADO) for full-time staff
• Generous leave entitlements including Gratis Leave, Wellness Leave and Parental Leave (pro rata if part time)
• 17.5% Annual Leave Loading
• Flexible work arrangements are available for maintaining your work-life balance
• Professional development through regular practice development sessions and coaching with your supervisor
• Ongoing extensive in-house Learning and Development programs to encourage learning and skill-building
• Fitness Passport membership to support your health and wellbeing (available in most States/Territories and subject to minimum working hours and/or length of service)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through TELUS - providing holistic health and wellness supports and resources to Neami staff and their immediate family

What you will bring to the role

Essential

• Personal lived experience of distress, trauma, and/or substance use, with a focus on healing/recovery and the ability to purposefully use lived experience learnings to connect with and support others.
• Strong capacity to engage effectively when working with discomfort, distress and people experiencing crisis.
• Ability to work autonomously, adapt communication to diverse need and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to self-reflect, take on feedback to grow practice skills and engage in personal and professional development.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills plus computer literacy.
• A valid Working with Children Check.

Desired

• Intentional Peer Support core training, Cert IV Mental Health Peer Work, Hearing Voices training, group facilitation experience or similar.
• Previous experience in a designated Lived Experience role

What the role requires

• National Criminal History Check (police check) - disclosable outcomes considered
• Current Working with Children Check
• Australian working rights

Be Yourself - Neami values and celebrates diversity including multidisciplinary teams and the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community. First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that is accessible, inclusive and reflects the community in which we live.

Neami is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We commit to providing accessible and safe physical and online environments for all children and young people. Click here for the full statement.