For all people in Australia living with mental health and wellbeing challenges to live a life that is meaningful to them.

Position Details

• 2x Full-Time Maximum Term Positions until 3 October 2026
• Classification: SCHADS Level 3 with a salary range of $73,883 - $79,218 per annum (pro rata) + Superannuation
• Salary packaging arrangements providing tax benefits available for living and entertainment expenses increasing your take home income where part of your wage is paid tax free each pay, savings thousands in tax each year
• Location: Latrobe VIC Locals, Morwell VIC

About Neami National

We're Neami. We're big believers in everyone having the opportunity to live a full life - and we give our all to support people to achieve wellbeing and mental health outcomes that matter to them.

For some people, this means having a stronger sense of self. For others, it may mean nurturing relationships or building the confidence to tackle tomorrow. Everyone has different life goals, and at Neami, we walk alongside people to help improve their quality of life on their terms.

We're proud to support 30,000+ people living with mental health challenges each year across Australia and offer services over 40 different Indigenous lands. These services include mental health and wellbeing, housing and homelessness, and suicide prevention.

Values

Together with our vision and purpose, our values define who we are and guide the way we operate. They are fundamental to our identity, and we align all our actions with them.

• Connecting
• Collaborating
• Learning
• Belonging

About your new role

Peer Support Workers are integral members of the team and represent 50% of the workforce within the Neami Mental Health & Wellbeing Local Service.

Peer Support workers draw on their lived experience of recovery from co-occurring alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and mental illness, mental health crisis or caring for someone living with a co-occurring mental illness and alcohol and other drug use.

PSWs walk alongside people experiencing crisis and distress in offering practical, emotional, social, and service access support that works out and responds to people's need through a process of mutual listening, learning, being, doing, belonging and healing. This may include:

• Exploring the intersectional relationship of addiction and AoD use on mental health challenges which impact relationships, employment, identity, and power
• Exploring wellbeing and meaningful skills, ways, and activities for daily living, connecting with personal power, and self-care
• Connecting people to resources or advocating for people who may be accessing the service. PSWs apply the Lived Experience lens as their primary way of working. Drawing on the National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Guidelines, the Lived Experience lens is:
• Learnings from personal experience of mental health challenges, distress and periods of healing, which may include service use
• Collective knowledge of universal lived experiences such as stigma, marginalisation, loss of power, and system hurt, as well as hope, healing, and personal recovery as real
• Professional principles and values such as mutuality, intersectionality, autonomy, hope and sharing power
• And the history of the Consumer movement, advocacy, and actions

You will work alongside a multi-disciplinary team inclusive of mental health clinicians, mental health registered nurses. Delivering a Peer First and Peer Last approach the Peer Support Workers will support a high engagement model of care, through actively greeting and supporting consumers throughout their time at Neami Mental Health & Wellbeing Local Service.

Peer Support Workers are an important element of the team approach and bring the wisdom of experience to many aspects of service delivery including intake interviews, service promotion, partnership work and case reviews.

Peer Support Workers have access to a tailored training program and to regular professional development sessions.

What will Neami offer

• Generous leave entitlements including paid parental leave, an Accrued Day Off each month, Gratis Leave and Wellness leave
• Professional development through regular practice development sessions and coaching with your supervisor
• Ongoing extensive in-house Learning and Development programs to encourage learning and skill-building
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through TELUS - providing holistic health and wellness supports and resources to Neami staff and their immediate family
• Flexible work arrangements are available for maintaining your work-life balance

What you will bring to the role

• Personal lived or living experience of AoD use, addiction and mental health challenges, distress, injustice, and journey of wellbeing/healing, and ability to apply learnings from this as your primary way of working
• Willingness to identify or be identified by others as a professional with lived experience of recovery
• Willingness to share and draw on lived experience purposefully in the role to instill confidence and hope in others about the journey of recovery
• Understanding of Lived Experience (Peer) principles and the Consumer/Carer movements to ground practice in collective knowledge
• Demonstrated ability in developing and maintaining respectful and purposeful relationships
• Mental Health and/or AOD Qualification: It is a requirement of the Peer Support Worker position that you hold, and provide Neami evidence of, a Mental Health or AOD (or equivalent Human Services, Community Services) qualification of Certificate IV level or above, or complete such a qualification within 2 years of your commencement of employment
• Proven ability to work autonomously with minimal supervision and to prioritise multiple tasks to meet conflicting deadlines
• Strong computer literacy and written communication skills
• Computer literacy
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to maintain confidentiality and build trust to deal with sensitive and difficult situations in a diplomatic manner

What the role requires

• National Criminal History Check (police check) - disclosable outcomes considered
• Current Working with Children Check - required before commencement of work
• Current Australian drivers licence and access to a car
• Australian working rights

How to Apply

The terms and conditions of the role are listed in the attached position description (please select paperclip icon).
To apply for this position, please:

• Click the'Apply now' button where you will need to create a username and password
• Upload your resume and cover letter

When applying for this position, you are asked to tell us about your previous work experience, your suitability for this role and your answers to any target questions (where asked). Please include in your application how you would prefer to be contacted (whether via email, text or phone call).

If you are excited about this role, but only meet some of the requirements, we encourage you to call or email us to talk about this opportunity. We're passionate about creating opportunities and supporting professional development.

If your application is shortlisted:

• We may invite you to have an informal phone conversation to discuss the role and get to know more about your experience and interest and answer your questions
• We may invite you to an interview (which may be in person or conducted online via Microsoft Teams) with up to three panel members from Neami

If you have any further questions regarding this role which are not addressed in the job advertisement or position description, or if you require any adjustments to participate in the recruitment process, please contact:

Simon Bescoby | Clinical Services Manager | [email protected] using the subject line: Peer Support Workers x2 - Mental Health and AOD - Morwell enquiry via EthicalJobs.

If you have any technical issues when applying for this role, please email [email protected] for assistance.

Please note we are actively recruiting to this role and as a result this position may close earlier than expected. Please apply now so you don't miss out on this opportunity!

Be Yourself -Neami values and celebrates diversity including multidisciplinary teams and the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community. First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that is accessible, inclusive and reflects the community in which we live.

Neami is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We commit to providing accessible and safe physical and online environments for all children and young people. Click Here for full statement.