x. EOI - Illawarra Shoalhaven

Expression of Interest for future Job Opportunities with Flourish Australia

About Us

Flourish Australia is one of Australia’s most experienced community mental health organisations. Our purpose is to support people to flourish, believe in their futures, and become contributing members of the community. Our services are comprehensive and highly personalised because each person’s experience will be different and their needs, as an individual, are unique. Together we set goals, connect individuals with the right people, support services and opportunities to meet their needs.

With 60+ locations across New South Wales, ACT, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, we have over 60 years’ experience providing comprehensive, holistic support for people with a lived experience of mental health.

Flourish Australia is proud to have built one of Australia’s largest peer workforces, a proven, strengths-based approach to mental health recovery. Peer work is a cornerstone of our services with more than half of our workforce having had a lived experience of a mental health issue. By applying personal experience in mental health, peer workers can empathise, support, and inspire people in finding their own path to recovery.

A day in the life of a Mental Health Worker and Peer Worker with Flourish Australia

As a Mental Health Worker or Peer Worker, you will support people accessing our services who have a lived experience of mental health issues to achieve their hopes and dreams. You will play an important part in assisting people to maintain wellness and realise their goals. In this role, you will:

• Listen to and create opportunities and activities that meet the interests and goals of people.
• Encourage shared learning experiences, and support skill development at every opportunity through self-directed learning, information and education.
• Ensure that individual support is provided to a person that accesses Flourish Australia services that meet their recovery journey goals and is strengths based and led by the person wherever possible.
• Be ‘hands on’ and involved in direct service delivery.

The nature of the support provided to people you support varies depending on the individual goals of each person. Some of these tasks can involve helping people look after their home environment and supporting people with community activities like shopping or attending medical appointments. You might also support people to participate in recreational activities, look for work or gain a qualification. The emphasis in mental health work is always on supporting independence and skill development.

As a Mental Health Worker or Peer Worker you work within a recovery framework where the person receiving support is central in determining the assistance they receive. By walking alongside them as they determine their goals, you support people to make choices based on their own personal hopes and dreams. On a daily basis you would also work in partnership with family members and carers, clinical mental health services and other stakeholders. This might involve organising support meetings, liaising with people over the phone and corresponding via email.

Our positions

The difference between a Mental Health Worker and a Peer Worker at Flourish Australia is that a Peer Worker is required to use their lived experience of a mental health issue and personal recovery openly, appropriately and effectively to build professional relationships with the people they support that also experience a mental health issue.

It is not a requirement for Mental Health Workers to use their lived experience of a mental health issue in their everyday work.

For more information about what it means to be a Peer Worker with Flourish Australia, please review the Position Description and the following document on An Introduction to Peer Work at Flourish Australia.

For more information on the Mental Health Worker role, please read the Position Description.

Our positions are open to all suitably qualified applicants. We have a strong commitment to the participation of people with lived experience of mental health issues in our workforce. We value diversity and encourage applications from suitably qualified people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities, LGBTQ+ communities and mature age candidates.

All appointments with Flourish Australia's Mental Health Services are subject to an NDIS Worker Screening clearance, a National Criminal History Check, a WWCC, previous employment reference checks, satisfactory Australian residency status and other background checks. All successful applicants will be required to declare any private or secondary employment prior to commencement in line with Flourish Australia's Private or Secondary Employment Policy.

Selection Criteria

Essential:

• Certificate IV or above in a relevant field OR a minimum of 2-years full-time experience working in the human services field (as recognised by Flourish Australia)
• A strong commitment to recovery-based practice in the workplace.
• A personal lived experience of a mental health issue and recovery.
• Understanding of the challenges faced by people with a lived experience of a mental health issue.
• Understanding of, and ability to effectively use, Microsoft Office and knowledge of data information management systems.
• A current Australian Driver’s Licence.

What happens next?

To express an interest for working with Flourish Australia, please complete the questions below. You will then be asked to attach a copy of your resume on the following page, we encourage you to have your resume up-to-date and available before you commence the application.

You application will be forwarded to the relevant local hiring manager who will reach out should a suitable opportunity arise. With your permission, your EOI will be held on file for 6-months and will expire once it reaches this 6-month mark. Please also note, you may not hear back regarding your EOI if a suitable opportunity does not arise within this 6-month timeframe.

We look forward to getting to know you and thank you for considering joining the Flourish Australia team.

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