Family/ Carer Peer Support Worker

Monash Health is a great place to work

Monash Health is Victoria’s largest and most comprehensive health service. For more than 170 years, Monash Health and its predecessors have provided safe, high-quality healthcare and service for people at every life stage. 

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Embark on a rewarding career and be part of a team where your dedication makes a difference in people’s lives

About the Role:

Join our team as a Family/Carer Peer Support Worker, permanent part time (38 hours per fn), based at Home Grath Community Centre, Pakenham.

Monash Health is excited to announce a Family/Carer Peer Support Worker position in the new Child & Youth Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement (CY-HOPE) Team with the Early in Life Mental Health Service. 

The CY-HOPE team provides wellbeing/psychosocial support, peer support and brief clinical support to young people in the 0-18 age range presenting with suicide and self harm concerns.  The Family/ Carer Peer Support Worker position is a lived experience peer support role. The successful candidate will provide non clinical support to families of consumers, alongside mental health clinicians and wellbeing support workers, and referral and liaison support to other services.

The Faily/ Carer Peer Worker will work as part of the CY-HOPE team under its governance and support and, as such, will have opportunities to work in a variety of community settings. 

In this role, you will utilise your own lived experience as a parent/ carer of a young person who has experienced mental ill health and recovery and has used mental health services to support others within the principles of intentional peer support. Within a relationship of mutuality, you will provide emotional support to consumers and promote well-being, choice, self-determination and greater opportunities for consumers to participate in their own treatment and recovery.   

About Us: The Child and Youth HOPE Team  

The Early in Life Mental Health Services (ELMHS) provides assessment and treatment for infants, children, adolescents, young people and their families. We work with the 0-18 age in the Southern Region. We provide a comprehensive assessment service and a range of treatment options including inpatient treatment in times of crisis, community (outpatient) treatment, group programs, family therapy, and specialist services. The Child & Youth Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement (CY-HOPE) Team is a core component of Victoria’s suicide prevention framework, which aims to halve Victoria’s suicide rate by 2025. This new service gives children and young people who are intentionally self-harming, experiencing suicidal ideation, or have attempted suicide a rapid and intensive form of support that is designed to prevent rate of recurrence and ultimately reduce rates of suicide among children and young people. Importantly, this includes engagement and support of their parents/carers, families and extended support networks in assertive outreach provided. 

About You:

This role requires lived/living experience of caring for a family member with mental health challenges that have changed the trajectory of your own life as they accessed services.

To ensure your success in this role you will bring the following demonstrated skills, experience and knowledge:

• Ability to use own experience to inspire hope and belief in recovery 

• Lived / Living Experience of Caring for a family member with mental health challenges that have changed the course of your own life as they accessed services
• Experience working in a Mental Health Lived Experience role, with the capacity to use recovery oriented and trauma informed principles when providing support to people at risk of suicide  

• Ability to establish strong, effective working relationships. I.e. Ability to liaise, consult and work with a broad range of consumers, carers/families, health professionals, community agencies and organizations   

• Effective written and verbal communication skills and an ability to communicate in everyday, non-clinical language  

• Understanding of the need to be sensitive to the needs of people from diverse backgrounds including Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, culturally and Linguistically Diverse people  

• Willingness to participate in relevant training and supervision programs for peer support workers  

• Understanding of the role of supervision, ongoing personal/professional development and other mechanisms that sustain motivation and enthusiasm  

• Understanding of the role of governance in developing and managing safe and effective services  

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Completion of Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training (or willingness to complete)   
• Completion of Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work or similar qualification (or willingness to complete) 

In Return Monash Health will offer:  

• salary packaging  
• friendly and supportive culture  
• opportunity to experience various teams  
• on-going supervision and professional development 

For a confidential discussion, please contact Kimberley Longayrou, Team Manager on 0439 328 116. 

For the Position Description, please click here! 

For the Team Chart, please click here! 

We recognise the value of equal employment opportunity. We are committed to patient safety, promoting fairness, equity and diversity in the workplace and to Child Safe Standards. At Monash Health we are relentless in our pursuit of excellence and work to our six guiding principles and our five ICare values.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted via the Monash Health online EHub system. For information including how to apply and probity check requirements, please click here for the ‘Application Guide’

Applications will be screened upon receipt and selection activity may commence prior to the closing date. 

Applications close 31 January 2025