Position Title: LGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Peer Worker
Employment Type: Maximum term Part Time – 30 June 2024
Hours per week: 20
Position Grade: Health Education Officers Non Graduate/Graduate
Salary: $60,373 – 87,304/ $69,050 – 110,326 (pro rata) base salary per annum
Enterprise Agreement: The Named NSW (Non-Declared) Affiliated Health Organisations’ Professional and Associated Staff Agreement 2022
Department Name: Towards Zero Suicides / Community Mental Health
About us:
St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney is a leading not-for-profit organisation providing health services to our community. Guided by our values of compassion, excellence, integrity and justice, we promote a culture of diversity and inclusion and empower our people to learn, grow and innovate.
Benefits of working at St Vincent’s include:
- Generous salary packaging and Fitness Passport for eligible staff
- Opportunity to access a large range of clinical and non-clinical education programs
- Supported post graduate opportunities within applicable fields
- Career development opportunities across the St Vincent’s Health Australia Network
- Employee Assistance Program
- Work/Life balance
About the role:
The Alternatives to Emergency Department Service will provide support and connections for people who present to the service in distress or experiencing suicidal crisis. It will provide a non-clinical alternative to an emergency department presentation or to remaining in emergency unnecessarily. The service aims to promote a no wrong door approach. For many people experiencing a suicidal crisis, emergency departments are the most immediately accessed or only form of support. However, busy emergency departments are not ideal locations for people who are in psychological distress. The Alternatives to Emergency Department service will provide people with appropriate and responsive care in a warm welcoming environment, nearby to emergency departments. Support will be provided by suicide prevention peer workers and a mental health clinician in a non-clinical environment. People can also be connected with a wide range of other community based services such as housing, relationship counselling or financial assistance, to help address the causes of their distress.
The LGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Peer Worker will provide holistic and culturally sensitive person centered recovery-oriented and trauma-informed peer support to achieve better health outcomes and better access to services. Support may include psychosocial support, safety planning, recovery/wellness planning, individual or group peer support, and advocacy. The LGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Peer Worker will take a collaborative approach to supporting people to identify and connect with the support they need and want.
The LGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Peer Worker must have proven (professional or lived) experience and the ability to work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, tans* and gender diverse, intersex and or queer identifying communities.
The LGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Peer worker may also be required to work from or liaise with emergency departments to ensure people in distress are successfully linked to the service and that emergency department staff have a high awareness of the service.
The LGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Peer worker will deliver support that aligns with the principles of step up/step down care. This includes making connections to a range of community-based services for ongoing support if required (step down), or supporting people to determine if they require clinical intervention including emergency care and/or outreach teams for follow up (step up).
Our Culture:
St Vincent’s is committed to employing a workforce that reflects the community we care for. We strongly encourage applications from people that are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally diverse, sexuality or gender diverse and/or living with disability.
Employment with St Vincent’s is subject to you having current immunity status that complies with the Occupational Assessment, Screening & Vaccination against Specified Infectious Diseases – NSW Health Policy Directive (PD2023_022). Appointment and ongoing employment will be subject to continued compliance with this policy directive.
About you:
We are seeking a skilled and energeticLGBTIQ+ Suicide Prevention Peer Worker who possess a passion for person centred care. We welcome applications from people ready to join our workforce.
Application Instructions:
To have you application considered you are required to upload a current CV/Resume as well as a separate cover letter/document addressing the ‘Selection Criteria’ as below. Internal applicants i.e. current employees of St Vincent’s Hospital or an entity of SVHA are required to apply via their Workday account.
Selection Criteria:
1. Personal integrity and demonstrated commitment to the Philosophy, Mission and Values of Mary Aikenhead Ministries and St Vincent’s Health Australia.
2. Personal lived experience of suicidal crisis and/or attempt as well as proven (professional or lived) experience and the ability to work with the LGTIQA+ community, with an ability to meaningfully and purposefully utilise the lived experience to support others in their own recovery journey. A degree in a relevant field is required for payment at Graduate rate.
3. Previous Peer work experience and/or Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work
4. Demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to consumer led recovery principles and trauma informed care
5. Experience in supporting people with mental health / experiencing homelessness / alcohol and/or drug use
6. Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively within the multi-disciplinary team and with a diverse range of stakeholders including consumers, families and service providers.
7. Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team with excellent computer skills (proficient in MS Office applications)
8. Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective partnerships with a range of key stakeholders (internal and external) as well as consumers and their families/carers.
Applications close on 29 September 2023