Peer Practitioner

Utilise your lived expertise to collaborate with, and walk alongside, service users as you champion and advocate for lived experience and holistic, person-central practices.

3x Permanent, Part-time roles in Melton Location

Mind Australia is one of the country’s leading community-managed specialist mental health service providers with a range of residential, mobile outreach, centre based and online services. We have been supporting people living with the day-to-day impacts of mental illness, as well as their families, friends and carers for over 45 years.

We provide practical and motivational support that helps people to develop the skills they need to move on, thrive and improve the quality of their lives. It’s an approach to mental health and wellbeing that looks at the whole person in the context of their daily life. Mind is committed to diversity and social inclusion.

About the role

The Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing services, otherwise known as “Locals”, act as a front door to the mental health service system and provides a continuum of care and support including clinical interventions, wellbeing supports, and therapeutic support through an integrated mental health and alcohol and other drug framework approach.

We are seeking three self-motivated, empathetic Peer Practitioners for three Permanent, Part Time opportunities to work in the Melton area. These positions will champion the voice of lived experience, advocate for human rights and provide an alternative to traditional mental health responses through the practice of mutuality. This is in addition to practicing in alignment with family-inclusive principles, recovery-oriented approaches, trauma-informed theories, and anti-racist/anti-oppressive frameworks.

Key responsibilities

- Demonstrate knowledge and abilities gained from both an individual's lived/living experiences, collective impacts and Lived Expertise, and be able to support the development of these approaches across the reach of Mind’s work
- Work in an Intentional Peer Support Model to walk alongside people through flexible outreach and assist with understanding their lives holistically.
- Plan, develop, facilitate and evaluate group work programs and utilise co-design and co-production principles ensuring that groups are based on relational practice and peer work principles.
- Assist service users with system navigation and linkages to community agencies or support systems that will assist them to address life impacts and barriers to full social, educational and employment participation, as required.
- Continue to reflect on your personal lived experience and the broader Lived Expertise knowledge base and how you use this in your practice.

What you’ll bring

- Completion of Intentional Peer Support Core and/or Advanced Training, or Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work, is desirable but not required.
- Tertiary qualifications (minimum Certificate IV) in Mental Health, Peer Work, Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) or other health-related field as designated by Mind will be considered.
- Has a lived/living experience of mental distress and recovery and understanding of, and ability and willingness to, contribute this Lived Expertise in working towards greater organisational impact.
- Previous experience in using lived experience and Expertise in a dedicated Peer role strongly desirable
- Passion to drive and champion change initiatives and progress the Lived Experience agenda throughout the organisation, and capacity to do so with integrity.

Benefits

- Salary packaging up to $15,899 p.a. allows you to allocate a portion of your pre-tax income to cover living expenses (e.g. rent, mortgage, childcare, car leasing expenses etc.)
- Option to access Meal and Entertainment allowance up to $2,650 p.a. via Salary Packaging.
- Generous leave entitlements including 8 weeks paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, and Monthly Accumulated Day off (Full time employees).
- Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provided by Converge International, for you and your immediate family members.
- Fitness Passport - Access to our corporate health and fitness program, providing you and family with access to a wide choice of fitness facilities.

Mind strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, people with a lived experience of mental ill health and recovery, and applicants from all cultures, genders, sexualities, bodies, abilities, spiritualities, ages and backgrounds.

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process. If you require any support or reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please contact us.

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