• First Nations People, LGBTIQA+ people, people with disability, people of colour, public housing residents or people with a lived experience are encouraged to apply.  
• DS is committed to child safety and strictly adheres to the Reportable Conduct Scheme for organisations. The safeguarding and wellbeing of our clients is our core focus. All staff must undergo thorough recruitment process including screening and providing evidence of current Working With Children Check and National Police Check 

QHub is a pilot project, funded until September 2025, and will provide co-designed, place-based services to LGBTIQA+ young people and their families/carers across Ballarat, Geelong, and the Surf Coast. The project will meet local needs and provide a range of affirming, accessible mental health and wellbeing support for local LGBTIQA+ communities. The main aims of the program are to have a local space to access wrap-around support, social connection, a sense of belonging, and positive peer and intergenerational role models, which will work to greatly increase the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ young people and their families/carers in the regions, as well as reduce rates of suicide and self-harm. 

This program is run via a consortium consisting of Drummond Street Services, CAFS Ballarat, and Wellways. 

QHub’s client journey and service navigation approach integrates the value of ‘lived experience’ in LGBTIQA+ Mental Health to build an informed, empathic, and therapeutic recovery from the experience of mental health challenges. This client journey and case management approach will wrap around a range of services to address key drivers of poorer mental health outcomes and engage clients with safer and responsive mental health care providers. 

The purpose of the Community Advisory Committee is to:  

• Develop the QHub project in consultation with the people and communities that may use it. 
• Ensure our service is accessible and client focused. 
• Seek expert knowledge and feedback across domains to improve our service’s quality.  
• Seek guidance from people with lived experiences to design and improve our approach to delivering support. 
• Seek feedback from a wide range of community members on the success and reach of the program in delivering objectives and addressing community need.  
• Identify opportunities for further collaboration and connection. 

Community Advisory Committee Members will be responsible for attending and participating in regular meetings to provide valued feedback in informing QHub practices relating to the above. Community Advisory Committee Members will draw on their individual LGBTIQA+ identity and experiences of mental health challenges, or on their experiences as a parent/carer/family member of an LGBTIQA+ young person who has experiences of mental health challenges, to provide this feedback and guidance on program implementation.  

Key Responsibilities

Service Oversight: 

• Draw from personal lived experience as an LGBTIQA+ person who has experiences of mental health challenges, or as a parent/carer/family member of an LGBTIQA+ young person who has experiences of mental health challenges, to provide considered feedback on governance and implementation processes and decisions made by consortia members.
• Participate in bi-directional dialogue with governance and implementation bodies to aid in the development of actionable items to improve quality of service. 

Competencies: 

• Base level understanding of how identity and minority stress contributes to social issues and how these intersect, such as homelessness, drug and alcohol concerns, mental health etc. 

• Developed communication skills. 
• Ability to identify capacity for collaboration and networking within community. 
• Strong level of self-awareness, particularly as it relates to reflecting on personal experiences. 
• Commitment to social justice. 

Key Selection Criteria: 

• Willingness to explicitly use above identities and experience to provide detailed, considered feedback on accessing mental health services that leverages personal experience. 
• Demonstrated capacity to participate in groupwork with a focus on collaboration and shared objectives. 
• Previous experience in community focused advisory/action groups (desirable).
• A basic understanding of the mainstream mental health support sector.

Application process:

• All applications will be directed to our careers portal  – QHub Geelong Community Advisory Committee – Committee Member (Volunteer) 
• Applicants must complete the application form to be considered (application form attached with PD). 

Please contact Jack Khouri at [email protected] using the subject line: QHub Geelong Community Advisory Committee – Committee Member (Volunteer) enquiry via EthicalJobs to discuss your application further.