Peer Worker - Youth Services

Neami National Limited; Perth; On-site; AUD 80,000 - 86,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Gratis Leave

Wellness Leave

Parental Leave pro-rata

Annual Leave Loading 17.5%

Flexible work arrangements

Professional development sessions

Learning & Development programs

Fitness Passport

EAP

Job summary

Neami National Limited is seeking a Peer Worker - Suicide Prevention to support young people aged 12-25 with mental health needs in Perth's YES program. The role leverages lived experience to provide emotional and practical support, run groups, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across outreach and centre-based services.

The position is 0.6FTE, part-time, based in Burswood, WA, with pro rata salary of AU$80,087–$85,877 plus superannuation.

Qualifications

• Personal lived/living experience of mental distress/illness and trauma with a focus on healing/recovery and the ability to purposefully use lived experience learning to connect with and support young people.
• Willingness to identify or be identified by others as a professional with lived experience of recovery
• Willingness to share and draw on lived experience purposefully in the role to instil confidence and hope in others about the journey of recovery
• Strong emotional resilience including the ability to sit with discomfort, distress and young people in 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.
• Experience in facilitating groups
• Strong verbal and written communication skills plus computer literacy.
• A Valid Working with Children Check
• A Current Australian Drivers Licence
• National Criminal History Check (disclosable outcomes considered)

Responsibilities

• Provide youth-led emotional, social, and service support to young people through one-on-one peer support (onsite or outreach) and facilitated groups.
• Engage in transdisciplinary teamwork to integrate lived experience perspectives into service delivery.
• Contribute to continuous service improvement by sharing lived experience insights with the team and partners.

Skills

Lived experience

Emotional resilience

Group facilitation

Communication skills

Autonomy

Self-reflection

Crisis support

Working with Children Check

Drivers licence

Criminal history check

Job description

Peer Worker - Suicide Prevention

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

Position Details

• Part-Time (0.6FTE) Permanent Position
• Classification: SCHADS Level 3 with a salary range of $80,087 - $85,877 per annumpro rata+ 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: Burswood, WA

About your new role

Neami's Youth Enhanced Services (YES) is funded by the Perth South (WA) Primary Health Network (PHN). YES provides multidisciplinary clinical and recovery focused support to young people aged 12-25 with moderate to severe mental health needs. The program supports young people whose mental health needs are greater than what primary care can provide, but who face barriers to accessing or sustaining engagement with ongoing specialist services.

The service is youth-centred, trauma-informed, flexible and inclusive, operating across four sub-regions in Perth South (Fremantle/Melville/Cockburn, Armadale/Gosnells/Canning, Rockingham/Kwinana, and Mandurah/Peel). YES offers outreach and centre-based services, including family-inclusive support, peer work, clinical intervention, care coordination, and system navigation.

YES is co-designed with local young people, families and services, and integrates strong partnerships with headspace, CAMHS, GPs, community organisations, schools and tertiary providers.

Peer Workers - Youth Services (PWs) draw on their own life-changing lived experience of mental distress/illness and/or trauma and their journey of recovery and healing to support young people who face similar challenges to their health and wellbeing.

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

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 identity, intersectionality, 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 perspective to 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

What you will bring to the role

• Personal lived/living experience of mental distress/illness and trauma with a focus on healing/recovery and the ability to purposefully use lived experience learning to connect with and support young people.
• Willingness to identify or be identified by others as a professional with lived experience of recovery
• Willingness to share and draw on lived experience purposefully in the role to instil confidence and hope in others about the journey of recovery
• Strong emotional resilience including the ability to sit with discomfort, distress and young people in 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.
• Experience in facilitating groups
• Strong verbal and written communication skills plus computer literacy.
• A Valid Working with Children Check
• A Current Australian Drivers Licence
• National Criminal History Check (disclosable outcomes considered)

What will Neami offer

• Generous leave entitlements including Gratis Leave, Wellness Leave and Parental Leave pro-rata
• 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

Applications Close: 2nd October 2026

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.

Ruth Lawrence, Clinical Service Manager - @neaminational.org.au