Family Peer Worker

Orygen Recovery Parkville, VIC Part-time

30/10/2025

• Parkville location | Close to public transport, onsite parking
• Part time permanent contract | (0.8FTE, 30 hours per week)
• Access to NFP salary packaging | Join a multidisciplinary team

About Orygen

Orygen is Australia's Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health and the largest translational research organisation dedicated to youth mental health in the world.

For over 30 years, Orygen has led groundbreaking early intervention and developed evidence-based models of care to improve the mental health outcomes of young people aged

About the job

The Family Peer Worker (FPW) will work within Orygen Recovery's (OR) multidisciplinary team. This position will use their lived experience as a family member/carer/supporter of a young person to support families of young people admitted to the Orygen Recovery services. Drawing on their own lived or living experience, the FPW provides support, information and psychoeducation, empathic listening and connection.

Reporting to the Youth Wellbeing Team Leader, you will:

• Provide empathetic, recovery-focused support and psychoeducation to families of young people, using personal lived experience.
• Offer drop-in and appointment-based support via face-to-face, phone, or video for families at Orygen Recovery.
• Collaborate with the team to organize family-inclusive events, workshops, and information sessions.
• Advocate for family voices within the team, linking families to other relevant services, including mental health and AOD supports.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with health and welfare agencies to promote family engagement in planning and evaluation activities.

This role will work a rotating roster across 7 days.

Skills and experience

The following criteria must be met for consideration for this position:

• Lived experience of supporting a young person who has experienced significant mental ill health, who is not currently a client of an Orygen led headspace centre or of Orygen.
• Demonstrated ability to use your lived or living experience to support others in a recovery focused way.
• Experience of supporting a young person who has accessed a YPARC or similar residential program is desirable.
• Capacity to solve problems effectively, engage and work creatively to engage families.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) to communicate warmly and effectively with families, liaise, build relationships and partnerships, consult and discuss with a wide variety of stakeholders.

Benefits

• Salary between $68,330 - $74,554 pro rata commensurate with skills and experience + 12% super + NFP salary packaging up to $15,900 & $2,600 meals and entertainment card.
• Ability to purchase additional leave; access to EAP; generous Parental Leave Scheme.
• Make a real impact on young people and their families/support networks in a dynamic, youth-centered environment.
• Engage in innovative projects alongside passionate professionals across various disciplines.
• Experience a workspace that was thoughtfully created with input from young people, promoting a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere.

How to apply

If you're ready to make a difference in youth mental health and be part of a collaborative, innovative team, apply now.

For the full position description, visit

This is a part time (0.8 FTE) ongoing position.

Applications will close on 13th November (10am), unless a suitable candidate is found sooner.

Before applying at Orygen, it's important to understand that you may encounter sensitive information related to mental health as part of your work. Being aware of this and how it could affect you is essential in deciding if this is the right opportunity for you.

Orygen is committed to providing diverse, equitable and inclusive environments for Staff and anyone connected to Orygen. We strive to continue building a culturally safe workplace where our values underpin the way we work and our commitment to First Nations people of Australia, young people and their families, people with disabilities, LGBTIQA+ people and CALD communities. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations people.

Orygen is a child-safe organisation and is committed to promoting and protecting the safety and well-being of all young people and embedding safeguarding practices into all our programs and services. All employment appointments are subject to holding a valid working with children check and successful police check.