HOPE Carer Lived Experience Worker

Latrobe Regional Health is a leading provider of health care services across the Gippsland Region

Are you seeking a rewarding and diverse HOPE Family-Carer Lived Experience Worker role in a leading regional hospital? Join the Community Mental Health Services at Latrobe Regional Health, where we value our employees by providing a safe and supportive workplace culture that enables you to thrive. 

Latrobe Regional Health (LRH) is looking for a HOPE Family-Carer Lived Experience Worker to join our growing team on an ongoing part-time basis, covering Central and West Gippsland, based in either Latrobe Valley or Wonthaggi.

Working Together | We will respond to challenges together to create a safe, quality health service

About the Roles

Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement (HOPE) Carer Lived Experience peer support workers offer non-clinical emotional and practical support to families, carers, kin and supporters of people navigating services due to experiencing challenges with suicidal thoughts and feelings. Drawing on their, or experiences of supporting and caring for someone through mental health challenges, including suicidal distress, service use, and recovery, these workers offer peer support and advocacy for people accessing mental health support in the community.

Expanding the Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement (HOPE) initiative was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system, and is designed to provide tailored clinical and non-clinical care and psychosocial support to improve the wellbeing and outcomes of people experiencing suicidal distress, including their families, carers, and supporters.

You will:

Core responsibilities

• Share lived experiences purposefully to create genuine, supportive relationships grounded in empathy, hope, and understanding.
• Provide emotional support by validating experiences and helping families and carers feel heard, understood, and less alone.
• Role model resilience and empowerment, demonstrating that recovery and relational healing are possible.
• Advocate for the rights, concerns, and needs of families and carers, while empowering them to self-advocate.
• Share practical information about community services, self-help strategies, and navigating mental health and suicide-prevention supports.
• Support group activities, including facilitating or co-facilitating peer groups where offered.
• Assist with system navigation, helping families and carers access supports for their own wellbeing.

Additional duties

• Promote carer and family perspectives to support system change and family-inclusive practice.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and collaborate with clinical and lived experience colleagues.
• Attend and contribute to family meetings and care planning sessions.
• Apply human rights and recovery-oriented principles across all work.
• Build relationships with lived experience networks and community supports.
• Complete administrative tasks including documentation, calls, reports, and emails in line with LRH procedures.
• Engage in supervision, reflective practice, and professional development.

About you

You bring empathy, maturity, and a deep understanding of the challenges families face when supporting someone experiencing suicidal distress.

You will have:

• Lived experience supporting someone through suicidal distress, mental health challenges, service engagement, and recovery.
• The ability to use your lived experience safely, purposefully, and professionally.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to form inclusive, respectful relationships.
• An understanding of lived experience values, human rights, and recovery-oriented frameworks.
• Intermediate Microsoft Office skills and the ability to learn internal systems.
• Effective time management and the ability to prioritise in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications and requirements

• Current, unrestricted Driver’s Licence
• Police Check
• Working with Children Check
• Intentional Peer Support training (or willingness to complete)
• Certificate IV in Peer Work or Mental Health (or willingness to undertake)

Desirable

• IPS training or a completed Certificate IV in Peer Work
• Experience in a designated peer role
• Group facilitation experience

Latrobe Regional Health offers a range of benefits including:

• Salary packaging up to $9,000 per annum.
• Meals/Entertainment benefit up to $2,650 per annum.
• Encouragement for professional development and ongoing education.
• A range of social club activities, discounts and diverse workplace activities.
• Free access to our Staff Wellbeing Centre offering health education and wellbeing
• Access to discounted gym membership and fitness services through Fitness Passport Services.

Interested about this exciting opportunity, but want more information? We encourage you to contact Tyson Hill, Lived and Living Experience Consumer Lead & Consultant via email: Tyson.Hill@lrh.com.au for a confidential discussion.

Please click here for a copy of the Position Description

About us

Located in the picturesque region of Gippsland, Latrobe Regional Health (LRH) offers the perfect balance between career and lifestyle. Enjoy easy access to Melbourne, stunning beaches, majestic mountains, and serene lakes. With flexible working hours, you can make the most of what Gippsland has to offer.

LRH cares for a population of about 300,000 and is the regional provider of specialist services. Our catchment covers 42,000 square kilometres, from Phillip Island to Mallacoota in the far east of Victoria. LRH offers cardiac care, surgery, medical, renal, emergency care, aged care, women's and children's services, pharmacy, allied health and rehabilitation. Medical and radiation oncology are offered by the Gippsland Cancer Care Centre.

Now is an exciting time to join the LRH team, with the $223.5 million expansion completed in March 2024, offering improved maternity and paediatric facilities, larger intensive care unit, increased medical and surgical beds and additional operating theatres.

Diversity and inclusion

We embrace workforce diversity and actively encourage applications from across our community including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with linguistically diverse backgrounds, people of all genders and gender identities and people with disabilities. LRH's Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer is available to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent applicants and can be contacted via email: AboriginalHealthUnit@lrh.com.au   

How to apply

Join us in our mission to provide exceptional healthcare services to our community. Apply today and make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families. Please click the APPLY button to be directed to our Careers page for direct application. Applications should include a cover letter addressing the Key Selection Criteria and current resume.

Applications close: 28 December 2025

Explore all the great things happening at LRH by visiting our Careers and Training page of our website www.lrh.com.au/Careers-and-Training/ and take the next step in your career journey.

Before commencement, the successful applicant will

Provide evidence of an original and valid National Police Record Check, an employee Working with Children Check, and a current season influenza vaccine (if applicable to work area), unless a valid medical exemption applies.