Family Peer Support Worker

**Overview**:
**Work type**:Part time

**Salary**:$68,000 - $73,000

**Grade**:Undefined

**Occupation**: Health and Allied Health

**Location**: Melbourne

**Reference**: 12761

**Family Peer Support Worker**- Excellent employee benefits including salary packaging
- Challenging and rewarding work environment
- Ongoing training and development opportunities

**About the Role**

This is a permanent position at 60.8 hrs per fortnight (0.8 EFT) within the Mental Health Service HOPE Program.

You will work alongside other members of the team to best support the family by, orientating the parent/carer to the program, understanding the challenges being experienced by the parents and their needs, understanding their preferences and strengths, consulting with other people in the child’s learning and social environment and working with parents/carers on their own wellbeing and future strategies for hope and recovery. You will also work to facilitate linkages to services, NGO based supports and governmental agencies such as Centrelink and housing in the community that provide practical support to families. The role will also support the families to access these services and provide advocacy.

You will use your own lived experience and professional expertise to share their skills and learning, increase problem solving capabilities and provide emotional support, information and practical assistance to families in a way that is tailored to meet the needs of each family. Within a relationship of mutuality and information sharing, you will promote choice, enhance carer participation, advocate for family-centred service delivery that is sensitive to the needs of carers, promote and help uphold the rights of carers and provide peer support to carers.

Classification for this position will range from Lived Experience Worker Grade 2, Year 1-4 (MP32- MP35) (base salary $68,874 to $73,060 per annum, plus superannuation)

**What you’ll achieve**:

- The provision of practical support and advice to parents/carers in the HOPE program in their efforts at accessing community-based parent and family support services and agencies
- The provision of peer support to parents/carers within the HOPE program through assisting them in completing forms, communicating with other HOPE staff and internal and external services regarding their needs
- Together with other HOPE program staff, engage and support parents/carers through variety of means including outreach in the community, regular contact by phone, telehealth, clinic-based meetings and attendances in clinical sessions to support the parents/carers.
- Work collaboratively with HOPE team members to promote recovery-oriented practice and sharing personal mental health lived experience where appropriate to ensure care is sensitive and responsive to the needs and views of consumers and carers
- Network with internal and external stakeholders to keep up to date with carer-related issues and needs

**Your skills and experience**
- Lived experience of caring for a child or young person with mental health issues
- Current Victorian Driver’s Licence
- Have previous experience in peer support work with families
- Demonstrates knowledge of Victoria’s mental health system
- Demonstrated commitment to lived experience values and principles.

If this sounds like you, click here to view the position description.

**About the Department**

The RCH’s Infant, Child and Family Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (RCH Mental Health) Hospital Outreach Post-suicidal Engagement (RCH HOPE) program provides tailored, holistic support to children who are exhibiting mood and arousal dysregulation, may have experienced trauma, experiencing or who are at high risk of developing death wishes, deliberate self-harm, suicidal thoughts gestures or attempts who reside within the North and West Metropolitan Area of Melbourne, as well as their families/ care systems. The program provides psychosocial and clinical support to children and their families/carers for up to 3 months to address factors that may have contributed to the child presenting with mood and arousal difficulties. The program works closely and forms partnerships with the RCH emergency department and the many departments and teams within RCH Mental Health, as well as external mental health care providers.

**What we offer**:

- Salary Packaging - Increase your take home pay
- Professional development and special events

**Other requirements**:

- Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
- Valid Working with Children Check
- Current NDIS Worker Screening Check, or willing to obtain
- Compliance with RCHs “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure

**Application process**

To apply, you will need a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position in line with the requirements of the position description.

**Why work at the RCH?**

RCH enjoys high em