Job Description
Open Dialogue Carer Peer Practitioner/Carer Peer Support Worker
Req ID:  7793
Posting Start Date:  30/07/2026
Advertisement End Date:  20/08/2026
Work Location:  The RMH Parkville (City campus)

Join the Community Mental Health Services team at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and use your lived experience to support carers, families, supporters and kin through peer support.

 
Job Description: 

Open Dialogue Carer Peer Practitioner/Carer Peer Support Worker/Senior

Multiple opportunities available

Why Join RMH?

 

  • Multiple opportunities available | Ongoing full-time and fixed-term until July 2027 | Part-time negotiable
  • Use your lived experience to support carers, families, supporters and kin through peer support
  • Join a values-led organisation – People First, Lead with Kindness and Excellence Together

 

About the role

Join The Royal Melbourne Hospital in a dual role as Carer Peer Practitioner (Open Dialogue, Inner Melbourne Team) and Snr Carer Peer Worker within Community Mental Health Services. We have two opportunities available: one ongoing Snr full-time position and one 12-month parental leave opportunity, with part-time arrangements negotiable.

 

This designated lived experience role draws on your personal experience of supporting a family member, partner, friend or loved one experiencing mental ill-health, psychological distress or alcohol and other drug (AOD) challenges. Using your lived experience intentionally, you will provide hope, peer support, advocacy and connection to other families, carers, supporters and kin while promoting recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and family-inclusive practice.

 

Working as part of the Inner Melbourne (Open Dialogue) multidisciplinary team, you will help facilitate Open Dialogue network meetings that bring together consumers, families, carers and clinicians to support shared understanding, collaborative decision-making and recovery. You will also empower carers to navigate the mental health system, ensuring their voices, rights and perspectives are recognised and valued.

 

Key Accountabilities

 

  • Provide meaningful peer support to families, carers, supporters and kin, using lived experience to inspire hope and connection.
  • Co-facilitate Open Dialogue network meetings alongside clinicians, supporting inclusive and collaborative care approaches.
  • Champion carer voices by advocating for their rights, needs and experiences within mental health services.
  • Support carers to navigate the mental health system, access resources and build confidence in their support role.
  • Promote recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and family-inclusive practice through collaboration with carers, clinicians and community partners.
  • Maintain safe and ethical peer practice through professional boundaries, confidentiality, reflective practice, supervision and ongoing development.

 

About You

 

  • Minimum 2 years experience as a Carer Lived Experience Worker.
  • Personal lived experience supporting a loved one with mental illness, psychological distress or AOD challenges.
  • Ability to use lived experience to support others through recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and person-centred practice.
  • Strong communication, listening and relationship-building skills with the ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.
  • Knowledge of carer rights, advocacy and the Victorian Mental Health and Wellbeing system.
  • Experience working within, or strong knowledge of, the Open Dialogue approach to mental health care.

 

Benefits of Working at RMH

 

  • Meaningful Work
    Make a real difference in the lives of patients, families and our community.
  • Career Growth
    Access learning, development, and diverse career opportunities.
  • Supportive Culture & Belonging
    Join in a diverse and values-led organisation built on kindness, collaboration and inclusion.
  • Innovation
    Help shape the future of healthcare through research, technology and new models of care.
  • World-Class Excellence
    Work alongside leading healthcare professionals at one of Australia's premier public hospitals, within the Parkville Precinct—one of the world's leading biomedical and research precincts.
  • Enjoy great employee benefits
    Salary packaging of up to $12,000 tax free and generous leave entitlements, including additional annual leave and a monthly accrued day off for eligible full-time staff (role/EBA dependent).
  • Work in the Parkville Precinct
    Work in the Parkville precinct with excellent public transport, onsite parking options and access to staff health services.

 

Position Description

 

Click here to view the job description – Open Dialogue Carer Peer Practitioner

 

Click here to view the job description – Senior Open Dialogue Carer Peer Practitioner

 

Interested?

 

Click Apply to submit your application, please include a cover letter (required) and resume.

 

Interviews may commence as applications are received. Early applications are encouraged as the role may close once filled.

 
Name and Contact:  Vanessa Lindley Ph: 0417 340 5557

All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Record Check and satisfactory Working With Children Check.

The RMH is committed to creating a culturally safe environment as a collective responsibility. We draw on our principles of self-determination, equity, accountability, and shared learning to create a culturally responsive health system that challenges how we strive for continuous quality improvement to meet the expectations of the communities and patients we serve.

RMH is a child safe organisation, committed to upholding the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people in line with the Child Safe Standards.

As a leader in healthcare, we recognise the need to foster a culture of equity, inclusion, and belonging. We encourage people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities to apply, and will provide adjustments to support equitable participation.