Suicide Prevention Peer Worker

at  St Vincents Hospital Network

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.

We have an exciting opportunity to work in a dynamic team leading our approach to the provision of quality care to clients of the Towards Zero Suicide Team.
The Role involves providing support and connections for people who present to the service in distress or experiencing suicidal crisis. This service promotes a “no wrong door approach” and provides a non-clinical space and alternative to emergency department presentations.
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 Towards Zero Suicides Team 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 in a non-clinical environment.
People can also be connected with a wide range of other community based services such as for example housing, relationship counselling, financial assistance, drug and alcohol, homelessness, CALD services and Aboriginal services to help address the causes of their distress.
The CALD Peer Worker will provide holistic and culturally sensitive person centered, recovery-oriented and trauma-informed peer support as a team approach, to achieve better health outcomes and better access to services. Support may include:
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Psychosocial support, safety planning, recovery/wellness planning, individual or group peer support, and advocacy.
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Collaborative approach to supporting people to identify and connect with the support they need and want.
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Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of CALD access issues. Involve and engage CALD communities in the Towards Zero Suicides Service.
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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.
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The CALD 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).
The service will operate outside of business working hours including weekends and public holidays.