Peer Worker

**Employment Type**: Permanent Part Time (Job Share may be considered)
**Location**:Penrith
**Hours Per Week**: 26
**Requisition ID**: REQ544728

**Application Close**:29/01/2025

**Position Classification & Remuneration**: Dependent on qualifications

Health Education Officer Non-Graduate $31.51 - $45.57 per hour

Health Education Officer Graduate $36.04 - $57.58 per hour
- With _**_CORE_**_ Values of _**_C_**_ollaboration, _**_O_**_penness, _**_R_**_espect and _**_E_**_mpowerment,_
- working with us will ensure your professional life is provided every opportunity to succeed_
- and develop in your chosen career role._

**About Us**

Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) is a wonderful place to expand your career and grow your skills and knowledge. As a recognised leader in the healthcare industry, we provide a range of public health services to the Nepean, Blue Mountains, and Lithgow Region.

NBMLHD Community Mental Health offer a range of specialised services for children, young people, families and older people, through our community-based services and health centres. Our multidisciplinary health professionals and case managers take a collaborative approach to mental health care by linking with their patients to work together and consult within an environment appropriate to the person's needs.

Peer workers work as part of a designated team to support people who are experiencing psychological distress, a suicidal crisis, or who have a mental health diagnosis for which they are receiving care from NBMLHD Mental Health Service. Each team is part of the overall integrated mental health service, encompassing acute and longer term community mental health care, inpatient units, as well as specialist mental health teams providing specific evidence based therapeutic interventions. Peer workers draw on their lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery to develop empathic relationships with consumers and support their personal recovery. In doing this, the peer worker facilitates recovery principles of hope, choice, self-determination and social connectedness.

The incumbent will be a part of the Homelessness Mental Health Team in supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, who may be experiencing mental illness. They will be required to provide peer work services to a caseload of consumers, as well as be required to provide a consultative role to other service users of the Homelessness Mental Health Team. The successful incumbent will draw upon their lived experience of mental health challenges and their personal recovery journey, to develop empathic relationships and support personal recovery of consumers.

**Benefits available to eligible NBMLHD employees**
- Opportunity for extra tax savings through Salary Packaging
- Novated Leasing
- Great education opportunities through Education Training Service which offers over 110 courses each year
- Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for staff and family members
- Fitness Passport

**What you will bring to the role**:

- Personal lived experience of suicidal crisis, mental distress and recovery, and ability to meaningfully and purposefully use lived experience to provide peer support to consumers.
- Attainment of the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work (Consumer), or successful completion of Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work (Consumer) within 18 months of commencing position.
- Demonstrated experience using recovery-oriented and trauma-informed principles in providing support to consumers, and a broad understanding of recovery-oriented service provision and consumer involvement in service design, implementation and evaluation.
- Understanding of the Mental Health Community Managed Organisation (CMO) sector, and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with a range of key stakeholders from a wide variety of settings.
- Knowledge of legislation and standards relevant to mental health services.
- Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to plan, implement and evaluate individual peer support service delivery.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently with mínimal supervision; effective interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to provide quality written documentation through the use of proficient IT skills.
- Current Driver's Licence and willingness to use for work purpose travel.

Employment of a temporary visa holder may only occur if no suitable permanent resident or citizen of Australia has been identified and must not exceed the duration or conditions associated with the current visa.

**Need more information?