Lived Worker - Adult Mental Health

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Job Requisition

Location:

Clayton, VIC, AU, 3168

Employment Type:

Part Time

Posting Date: 30 Jan 2026

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.

To see first‑hand what our colleagues think about working here, take a look at the following short videos:
monashhealth.org/careers
.

Monash Health is one of the largest Lived and Living Experience Workforce employers in Victoria, encompassing both Consultants and Peer Workers. Our Peer Workforce, which includes both Consumer and Family/Carer Peer Workers, is integral to several of our inpatient units, community teams, emergency departments, and drug and alcohol services. We are dedicated to fostering a safe and supportive workplace, reinforced by strong professional leadership, reflective supervision, and opportunities for connection through co‑reflection, employee forums, and ongoing professional development.

The Clayton HOPE (Hospital Outreach Post-suicidal Engagement) program is a mental health initiative by Monash Health designed to provide intensive support for individuals after a suicidal crisis or self‑harm event to reduce the risk of repeat attempts. This Victoria‑wide program, which originated at Monash Health in Clayton, offers up to 12 weeks of support through a multidisciplinary team, including psychosocial support workers, mental health clinicians, and peer workers with lived experience.

Services include developing personalised safety plans, psychological support to build coping skills, and connecting individuals and their families with ongoing community resources.

The model, developed by Monash Health’s adult mental health services at Clayton (Clayton HOPE), comprises five levels of care:

• Early engagement and empathetic support (within 24 hours of referral)
• Assessment of psychosocial needs and suicidal risk (within 72 hours of referral)
• Construction of a personal safety plan (within 7 days of referral)
• Implementation of the personal safety plan and risk management (weeks 2–12)
• Discharge and handover to ongoing supports (12 weeks from enrolment)

What sets this model apart is that the client’s first contact is with a peer support worker — someone with lived experience of mental health challenges or suicidal ideation. This peer support worker has a deep understanding of the client’s difficulties and offers empathetic, informed care.

The study reviews the Clayton HOPE program
, which operates within Monash Health — Victoria’s largest public health service, serving one‑quarter of Melbourne’s population. Prior to the program’s implementation, individuals presenting to the Emergency Psychiatry Service (EPS) or identified by the Crisis Assessment and Treatment Teams (CATT) were typically referred to traditional mental health services.

Clayton HOPE employs an assertive outreach model designed to connect with clients who struggle to engage with conventional services and who require a more flexible approach to care.

As integral members of our multidisciplinary teams, Peer Workers bring their lived and living experience to support others through the Intentional Peer Support (IPS) model. This approach emphasises authentic connection, respect for diverse perspectives, mutuality, and shared experiences to foster growth, collaboration, and hope for recovery.

Consumer Peer Workers offer individual and group support, empowering individuals to engage actively in their treatment and recovery journey. Family/Carer Peer Workers assist carers and family members, providing guidance in their supportive roles and helping them contribute to the treatment and recovery planning for the person they are caring for.

This role is being offered as Part Time 0.8 EFT (4 days per week).

• Contribute consumer perspective to psychosocial review and team meetings.
• Build…