Peer Worker – Drug Alcohol and Addiction

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This is a Consumer, Peer Worker role with the successful applicant requiring Lived, or Living, drug and alcohol experience. 

About Us

The Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) provides a free and integrated service for people who inject drugs. The NSP service is committed to providing a confidential, non-judgemental and accessible service.  No referral required.  It operates on a drop-in basis.

The focus of the on-site NSP is to provide an extensive range of equipment under a Harm Minimisation Framework to:

• Reduce the risk to people who use substances, including risk of blood-borne virus and other infections, drug overdose, and the harms associated with drug use.
• Reduce the social impact on individuals, families and communities.
• Reduce the impact on the public environment (provide safe disposal of syringes, education on safe use and linkage to other community supportive services for healthier outcomes)

The NSP Outreach service provides sterile injecting and other equipment across the Cities of Greater Dandenong, Casey and Frankston.

The role will provide onsite and outreach services within a harm reduction framework to individuals, and groups that present with addictive behaviours.  The incumbent will be expected to provide support to affected individuals in order to improve their health, wellbeing and inclusion through providing support, education, brief intervention, and linkages to treatment and referral services.

This role will work a mixed roster of 8.30-17.00 p.m. on fixed-site, and 18.30-22.30 off-site outreach, alternating three or four days a week each Thursday to Sunday.   The role may require additional shift hours to assist the NSP when appropriate.  These shifts must be approved through the Team Lead of the service.

About the Role

Provision of basic health interventions, equipment, information and referral within a harm minimisation framework as it applies to injecting drug use and sex work.  This also includes basic knowledge of infection control, vein and wound care, HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections.

Lived Experience Sharing:

• Provide one to one peer support for consumers in the Needle Syringe Program, using lived and/or living experience of ADO challenges and recovery
• Purposefully share lived experiences with consumers, offering hope and support
• Listen, validate and support utilising the mode of Intentional Peer Support Principles (IPS)
• Engage and develop trusting and professional relationships with consumers
• Provide basic psychoeducation
• Support consumers to take core of their own wellbeing/self-care and access appropriate community supports to grow and sustain their recovery
• Support understanding and navigation of the AOD System
• Co-facilitate consumer peer recovery groups and education as required

Program Contributions:

• Contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of the peer workforce
• Contribute to the quality improvement, policy, and program development of the Needle Syringe Program form a consumer perspective

Collaboration, Reflection and Networking:

• Participate and contribute to the weekly group reflection
• Participate in regular lived experience reflective supervision and professional supervision as per Monash Health procedure.
• Regular collaboration, information sharing and reflection within the Consumer and Family/Carer Service at Monash Health
• Attend relevant networking, collaboration and reflection with relevant stakeholders (i.e. LEW Forums, Southern Dual Diagnosis SDDS, etc.

Key accountabilities include: 

• Provision of harm reduction education and advocacy.
• Facilitating referrals to relevant services
• Support safer using and disposal of needles/syringes and other injecting equipment.
• Collaborating with other service staff to ensure Outreach vehicle is safe and adequately stocked with all required supplies at all time.  This also applies to fixed site NSP.
• Undertake community engagement, development activities and tasks which reduce stigma and ensure community safety and wellbeing for the clients
• Supports and assists clients to understand and navigate health and other community services within Monash Health and externally
• Complete client related data via the Department of Health NSP Portal data system

Quality and safety

• The following responsibilities and accountabilities exist to ensure we deliver our National Standards. Refer to Monash Health’s Clinical Governance Framework for more information.

People and Culture 

• Participate and co-operate in consultative processes to improve health and safety.
• Observe safe working practices and as far as you are able, protect your own and others’ health and safety.
• Complete all necessary personal training and professional development requirements.
• Participate in annual performance development discussions with your manager and complete all mandatory training and compliance activity.

About You 

The incumbent will be expected to have the ability to engage with service users in a warm, non-judgmental manner, demonstrate a strength-based and motivational approach, and where appropriate engage the client in harm reduction, brief interventions, education, community connections, and information provision.

Qualifications/registrations/licences (italics indicate desirable): 

• Lived experience of problematic substance use and mental illness
• Tertiary qualification relevant discipline (e.g. alcohol and other drugs, community development, social work) 
• Completion of Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training (or willingness to complete) 
• Completion of Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work or similar qualifications (or willingness to complete) 
• AOD Certificate IV or higher, with minimum two years relevant work experience
• Working With Children Check
• Police check
• Current Victorian Driver’s License

Technical skills/knowledge/experience (italics indicate desirable):

• Lived Experience, knowledge, skills and experience
• Consumer who has lived and/or living experience of mental health challenges and ongoing recovery/stabilisation/management and have experience as a mental health service user
• Applicants must consider themselves to be work ready and capable of reflecting on how their own lived experience interacts with that of others
• Applicants must consider themselves to be within a reasonable foundation of wellness
• Monash Health acknowledges that recovery can look different for everyone, for some it is linear and for others, ongoing
• Ability to use own experience to inspire hope and belief in recovery

For a confidential discussion and to explore the opportunity further, please call Christopher Cornish-Raley on 9792 7630.

We recognise the value of equal employment opportunity. We are committed to patient safety, promoting fairness, equity and diversity in the workplace and to Child Safe Standards. At Monash Health we are relentless in our pursuit of excellence and work to our six guiding principles and our five ICare values.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted via the Monash Health online EHub system.

Qualifications/registrations/licences (italics indicate desirable): 

• Lived experience of problematic substance use and mental illness
• Tertiary qualification relevant discipline (e.g. alcohol and other drugs, community development, social work) 
• Completion of Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training (or willingness to complete) 
• Completion of Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work or similar qualifications (or willingness to complete) 
• AOD Certificate IV or higher, with minimum two years relevant work experience
• Working With Children Check
• Police check
• Current Victorian Driver’s License

Technical skills/knowledge/experience (italics indicate desirable):

• Lived Experience, knowledge, skills and experience
• Consumer who has lived and/or living experience of mental health challenges and ongoing recovery/stabilisation/management and have experience as a mental health service user
• Applicants must consider themselves to be work ready and capable of reflecting on how their own lived experience interacts with that of others
• Applicants must consider themselves to be within a reasonable foundation of wellness
• Monash Health acknowledges that recovery can look different for everyone, for some it is linear and for others, ongoing
• Ability to use own experience to inspire hope and belief in recovery