About the Organisation

Life Without Barriers is a leading social purpose, not for profit organisation of 7,000 employees working in more than 440 communities across Australia. We support children, young people and families, people with disability, older people and people with mental illness. We work with people who are homeless and refugees and asylum seekers.   

We want to employ people who reflect the diversity of our clients to ensure we can support each client's individual needs and wants. We encourage people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and people with disability to apply.

About the role

Life Without Barriers are currently seeking a Peer Worker to join the Mental Health team based in Unley with a requirement to work across metropolitan Adelaide. This is a full-time position until 30/6/2020.

In this role you will support people in the community with severe and persistent mental illness and complex needs to determine eligibility for supports under the NDIS and you will assist them the processes of submitting access requests to the NDIS. For people not eligible, you will be required to provide linkage to mainstream services.

In this role you will draw on your lived experience with mental illness and have a level of recovery that enables you to use this experience for the purpose of sharing knowledge, commonality and experiences. The successful candidate will deliver services within the framework of recovery.  Support services comprise of home-based outreach, office supports and connection of clients with their local community.   

Key Responsibilities

• Provide peer support to people who are living with (or have experienced) mental illness through mentoring, using the understanding of common experiences, a sense of community, and the sharing of knowledge and education
• Support clients to determine eligibility for the NDIS
• Liaise and collaborate with clients, their community and community support agencies such as mental health, housing and other services to support the client to submit quality access requests to the NDIS
• Coordinate the delivery of services to clients and work with the client to utilise other referral agencies and services if not eligible for support through the NDIS

Skills & Experience

• Lived experience of mental illness and a level of recovery that enables you to use this experience for the purpose of sharing knowledge, commonality and experiences
• Minimum Certificate IV in Mental Health/Peer Work or equivalent experience;
• Demonstrated understanding of the NDIS and access process
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to work with people from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds with specific reference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;
• Demonstrated ability to positively engage, interact and work with people who have complex needs including psychosocial disability;
• Possess a comprehensive knowledge of the issues faced by people with mental health issues;
• Have a comprehensive understanding of the Recovery Framework and the underlying principles;
• Current Drivers Licence.

Successful candidates will be required to clear probity checks including National Criminal History Record Check and Working with Children Check (where relevant to the role).

Benefits

• Generous tax benefits
• Work for one of Australia's largest Social Purpose organisations
• Work with a team passionate about making positive changes to people’s lives