Flourish Australia has an exciting opportunity for a Peer Worker to join our Community Businesses team in North Parramatta!
The position available is:
- Ongoing Part-time (45.6 hours/fortnight)
- Working days between Monday and Friday - shifts may include early starts depending on service requirements
- Based at North Parramatta, working across our Community Business sites in Surry Hills and North Parramatta
- Attractive hourly rates equivalent to SCHCADS Level 3 $38.65 - $41.45p/h + Super + Tax-Free Salary Packaging!
- Social: to create a recovery and reintegration pathway for people with mental health issues through various employment activities.
- Economic: to operate the business on a commercially sustainable basis of profitable growth whilst simultaneously offering employment opportunities for people.
- Product: to provide a range of commercial industry-standard products that meet the expectations and needs of targeted markets.
- Support: to increase awareness of mental health issues and to encourage businesses to support the Community Businesses.
For more information on how our Community Businesses provide recovery-focused employment and support, please visit our website.
Flourish Australia’s Community Businesses provide vocational support and training within a commercial environment to people with lived experience of mental health issues. They achieve this goal by tailoring meaningful employment activities that support an employee’s vocational journey with practical on the job training and a group based learning experience. These vocational activities culminate into achieving the Community Businesses objective of transitioning employees into open employment. An example of these activities may include Lawns and Grounds maintenance.
The objectives of our community businesses are to provide a supportive working environment where people can:
- Reconnect gradually with employment and earn an award-based wage;
- Gain or enhance the social skills required to operate successfully as an employee;
- Learn about recovery and how to improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and plan their recovery journey with support from a peer worker; and
- Gain useful trade or industrial skills and qualifications relevant to future working opportunities.
As a Peer Worker, you will work in the community to support people accessing our services who have a lived experience of mental health challenges to achieve their hopes and dreams. Your personal lived experience of mental health challenges, trauma, recovery and navigating services is recognised as a form of Lived Experience Expertise. You use this expertise intentionally, safely, and purposefully to build relationships grounded in mutuality, shared understanding, respect, and hope. Through authentic connection and values-aligned self-disclosure, you support people to explore their strengths, rights, choices, and self-defined recovery goals, always honouring their roles as the expert in their own life.
On a day to day basis you will:
- Effectively and appropriately hold recovery and social citizenship conversations with people who access our services in order to connect with them, support them and build reciprocity, via mutual understanding, trust and shared experience.
- Effectively and appropriately guide and support each individual in their recovery and be strengths, ability and possibility focused, whilst ensuring they are the leads in their own recovery journey.
- Effectively contribute to decreasing stigma and discrimination around having a lived experience of a mental health challenge.
- Support the person to access activities and opportunities that promote independence.
- Support skill development at every opportunity through self-directed learning, information, training, and education.
To learn more about becoming a Peer Worker with Flourish Australia, we encourage you to review An Introduction to Peer Work at Flourish Australia, which provides a clear overview of the role. You can also deepen your understanding of our Peer Work model by exploring our Peer Workforce Framework.
The full position description can be found below:
- Peer Worker Position Description
Please note - Successful candidates must maintain a Class C drivers license and proof of comprehensive insurance must be provided when required. You may be directed to use your private motor vehicle in the course of performing your duties when an organisational pool motor vehicle is unavailable. You will receive the Travelling Transport and Fares Allowance when using your private vehicle for work related purposes.
Flourish Australia is one of Australia’s most experienced community mental health organisations. Our purpose is to support people to flourish, believe in their futures, and become contributing members of the community.
Our services are comprehensive and highly personalised because each person’s experience will be different and their needs, as an individual, are unique. Together we set goals, connect individuals with the right people, support services and opportunities to meet their needs.
Our positions are open to all suitably qualified applicants. We have a strong commitment to the participation of people with lived experience of mental health issues in our workforce. We value diversity and encourage applications from suitably qualified people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities, LGBTQ+ communities and mature age candidates.
Essential:
- A Certificate IV or above in a relevant field OR a minimum of 2-years full-time experience working in the human services field (as recognised by Flourish Australia).
- A personal lived experience of a mental health challenge and recovery.
- Willing and able to effectively, respectfully, and appropriately use your lived experience of a mental health challenge and recovery.
- Demonstrated alignment to Flourish Australia’s values.
- A strong understanding and commitment to recovery-based practice in the workplace.
- Understanding of the challenges faced by people with a lived experience of mental health challenges.
- Understanding of, and ability to effectively use, Microsoft Office and knowledge of data information management systems.
- Maintain a current Australian Driver’s Licence.
For further information, please contact Frankie Motilal, Manager, Mental Health & Employment Supports. E: [email protected] (please do not email applications)
All appointments with Flourish Australia's Mental Health Services are subject to an NDIS Worker Screening clearance, a National Criminal History Check, a WWCC, previous employment reference checks, satisfactory Australian residency status and other background checks. All successful applicants will be required to declare any private or secondary employment prior to commencement in line with Flourish Australia's Private or Secondary Employment Policy.
Flourish Australia recognises and values its people as demonstrated by:
- Level 3 on the Flourish Australia Enterprise Agreement (2018)
- Tailored onboarding program to set you up for success
- Tax-Free Salary Packaging available up to $15,900
- Exclusive personal fleet pricing discounts with our preferred automotive supplier
- Generous leave provisions including 17.5% leave loading + 2 additional days of personal leave + Christmas/New Years Gratis Day + 10 weeks paid primary carer parental leave + purchased annual leave program
- Regular supervision (reflective practice), ongoing 1:1 mentoring
- Employee Assistance Program for confidential wellbeing support
- Opportunities for professional development and training to obtain mental health specific qualifications such as Mental Health First Aid, Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work and ASIST Suicide Prevention training
- Workplace community groups- Rainbow Network for LGBTQ+ staff members & allies and YarnUp Group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members
- Employee discounts program at 400+ popular retailers (Woolworths, JB HI FI, Rebel, Myer, Booking.com etc.)
