Are you a Peer Support Worker who is passionate about using your own lived experience of mental illness to offer hope, connectedness and empowerment to others? Join our eFriend program, assisting people experiencing loneliness, isolation & mental health concerns to develop the confidence and capacity to manage their own wellbeing.

This could be your opportunity to:

• Provide impactful non-clinical support through developed rapport over scheduled calls in this innovative award-winning program
• Enjoy supportive team environment with good communication, collaborative culture and lived experience supervision
• Join an inclusive & flexible organisation with a strong record of lived experience integration as a peer leader in the mental health space

ABOUT US

Independent Community Living Australia (ICLA) is a not-for-profit community organisation delivering mental health recovery services and personalised support to individuals with psychosocial, intellectual and other disabilities as well as those seeking support at difficult times in their life. ICLA offers a wide range of services across the greater Sydney region, from supported residential services to supported mental health services, empowering individuals with independence and inclusion in the community.

ICLA’s mission to deliver personalised support, enabling individual choice to improve people’s lives is achieved by living our values:

Respect for all; Integrity in what we do; Accountable for all we do; and Results for those we serve.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Our empathetic & compassionate Peer Support Workers use their lived experience and personal recovery to engage and empower program participants in their own recovery journey. Our eFriend program is delivered virtually by our understanding Peer Support Workers to adults who are experiencing loneliness, isolation & mental health concerns. Our Peer Support Framework is grounded in Intentional Peer Support, taking a non-clinical approach to mental health and wellbeing, and valuing the powerful part peer support plays in the mental health recovery journey.

The current opportunity is a part time role of 11 hours per week, with two 5.5 hour shifts available from 2:00-8:00pm on Monday & Wednesday afternoons. The role is for a fixed term to 30 June 2025, remunerated from $36 per hour + super (Level 3, SCHADS Award 2010). Working primarily from Surry Hills, this role has capacity to work from home one day per week after completion of the training & induction period.

Responsibilities

• Establishing rapport and building trusting, professional collaborative relationships with participants to help find and maintain hope; establish (or re-establish) a positive personal identity; build (or re-build) a connected life; and take control over their journey.
• Modelling positive recovery behaviours for participants.
• Supporting participants to identify and work towards their individual, recovery-oriented needs and goals, while ensuring they are drivers of their own recovery
• Assisting with day-to-day operations and performing all operational, record keeping and reporting requirements

ABOUT YOU

Essential Criteria:

• Experience utilising your personal lived experience of mental health recovery to provide peer support, including making meaningful self-disclosures in a safe & reciprocal way
• Experience managing your wellbeing in a peer support work environment
• Ability to relate to and/or engage with people who are seeking support for a range of mental health issues and their support networks.
• Experience applying person-centred, trauma informed, recovery-oriented care models.
• Caring nature balanced with a robust understanding of, and commitment to, professional boundaries
• Growth mindset with a commitment to learning & continuous improvement
• Advanced listening skills, excellent interpersonal communication skills, and experience building trust and rapport
• Current NDIS worker check (or willingness to obtain)
• Unrestricted right to work in Australia

Desirable Criteria:

• Mental Health First Aid and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

BENEFITS

ICLA offers:

• Joining an award-wining program at an exciting juncture of new partnership & program expansion
• Contribute to filling a gap in the mental health service landscape with this non-crisis mental health service
• Charity salary packaging to pay benefits and living expenses from pre-income tax
• Inclusive and committed culture where everyone's contribution is valued
• Ongoing learning and developing opportunities
• Involvement in innovative and dynamic programs
• Flexible work practices

HOW TO APPLY

If this sounds like a great opportunity for you, please select "Apply Now" to submit your application, including a Cover Letter addressing the essential criteria 1-6 and any applicable desirable criteria. Applications will be reviewed as received. Enquiries can be directed to [email protected] using the subject line: Senior Peer Support Worker enquiry via EthicalJobs.

At ICLA we believe that a diversity of people and experiences is critical to our work and our success. We strive for a team culture that is welcoming, inclusive, supportive, and committed. ICLA is an Equal Opportunity employer. We encourage applications and expressions of interest from all backgrounds, abilities, and identities. We also acknowledge the lived expertise of those who have provided care and support for others in a non-paid role. ICLA acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Custodians of the country in which we work and thrive, empowering people to have agency and autonomy.