Do you want to create a difference in people’s lives by using your own experience? Are you able to offer hope to others who may feel hopelessness?

ICLA’s Recovery Services work alongside people to offer hope, connectedness and empowerment while they work through some of the difficulties that life often presents. We believe that staff with lived experience in mental health issues bring valuable experience and understanding to these programs, enriching the support provided.

Our Peer Workers:

• Work with people seeking support at difficult times in their life
• Learn how to use their lived experience to support others in helpful and effective ways
• Deliver innovative and dynamic programs in collaborative teams with Mental Health Support Workers and some clinical staff.

About the Programs

SPARC

ICLA’s Suicide Prevention and Recovery Centre (SPARC) in Carlton is an early intervention service that works with people to facilitate a positive change in their life with the overarching aim of fostering a sense of connectedness, hope and empowerment. This program isn’t an acute mental health or crisis service, rather is provides support to people who are experiencing stress and feeling a sense of hopelessness. Peer Support Workers work alongside Mental Health Support Workers in a rotating shift pattern between the hours of 7am - 11pm Monday to Friday.

PARC

ICLA’s Prevention and Recovery Centre (PARC) in Bondi offers a short stay, mental health residential program in a home-like environment in partnership with the South & Eastern Sydney Mental Health Services. This service provides 24/7 empathetic care and support, offering a step-up/step-down model to assist guests with their mental health recovery. Peer Support Workers work alongside Mental Health Support Workers and clinical staff, with shifts across a 24 hour period, 7 days a week.

About the Role

Our empathetic and compassionate Peer Support Workers use their own lived experience with mental health to support and empower people in their recovery process, providing them with the tools and resources to accomplish goals and enabling them to take charge of their own mental health journey. We currently have one part time position available at each of these two services, as well as casual positions available working across both programs.

Responsibilities include:

• Establishing rapport and building trusting, professional relationships with people using our services
• Providing outreach to support guests’ entry and exit from the programs
• Working with guests on their individual recovery goals using tools and resources and developing Individual Recovery Plans
• Providing direct support to participants through individual support and group activities to attain the skills required to foster inclusion and independence
• Assisting in linking guests to activities and networks that support achievement of goals
• Modelling positive recovery behaviours
• Contributing to the creation and maintenance of a warm, caring and homelike environment.
• Supporting participants to actively engage with their support networks
• Contributing to positive and high performing culture by participating in training, supervision and debriefing sessions, maintaining personal wellbeing and promoting professional boundaries within the team.

About You

Essential Criteria - Experience, Personal Attributes and Qualifications:

• Lived experience in mental health recovery and ability to utilise personal lived experience to provide peer support
• Ability to relate to and engage with people who are seeking support for a range of mental health issues.
• Understanding and commitment to a trauma informed, recovery-oriented, person-centred approach.
• Caring nature balanced with a robust understanding of, and commitment to, professional boundaries.
• Advanced listening skills, excellent interpersonal communication skills, and experience building trust and rapport
• Ability to work closely and collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team.
• Current NSW driver’s licence, police check and first aid certificate (or willingness to obtain)
• Working rights in Australia

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience in providing recovery-orientated psychosocial support to vulnerable populations.
• An understanding of the biopsychosocial model of mental health, and how social inclusion principles are applied to service delivery and mental health recovery
• Diploma, degree or equivalent in a related field (e.g., mental health, social work, community services).

About Us

Independent Community Living Australia (ICLA) is a not-for-profit community organisation delivering personalised support to people with psychosocial, intellectual and other disabilities as well as those seeking support at difficult times in their life. We manage a number of supported residential and mental health support services across the greater Sydney region, promoting people’s independence, active participation and inclusion in the community. We foster a flexible and inclusive work environment, where everyone’s contributions are valued, while providing a rewarding service to our local community.

Benefits

We offer:

• Charity salary packaging to pay benefits and living expenses from pre-income tax
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Involvement in innovative and dynamic programs
• Inclusive and committed culture where everyone’s contribution is valued
• Flexible working practices
• Paid Parental Leave

Enquiries can be directed to [email protected], using the subject line: Peer Support Worker enquiry via EthicalJobs.

In order to deliver on our purpose, we want to ensure that we represent the diversity of the Australian community, so we welcome applications and expressions of interest from candidates who can help us to achieve this goal.