Peer Support Work

What is Peer Support Work?

Peer support work is the provision of mentoring, peer-support and the development of individual skills. The service that this provides is assistance with budgeting, paying bills, attending appointments, seeking and attending social activities and maintaining interactions or contact with others.

Other roles of a Peer Support Worker are inclusive of training to utilise public transport, plan activities/events, development of skills able to be utilised within the community and social settings. It encourages growth of independence in daily personal activities and the training provided can also be completed in group settings.

What do Peer Support Workers Do?

Peer Support Workers assist participants in connecting them with events, supports or services that will assist in the maintenance or recovery of their condition.

They are to share their experiences and different strategies that may assist in the process of maintenance or recovery, to stabilise what is happening in their environment. The of building meaningful relationships and communication networks around the participant will aide in the improvement of the participants confidence and self-esteem. Peer Support Workers are able to develop, plan and implement group activities for individual skills development. One of the main requirements of a Peer Support Worker, is that they are able to create appropriate action plans and goals with the participant, so that the opportunity to progress is provided.

Why Peer Support Work?

Peer Support Workers assist in the development of skills of which participants are able to use in their daily living. These skills are specifically provided as capacity building sessions and aim to develop and enhance NDIS Participant's Independence.

Our Peer Support Workers have appropriate qualifications and experience in the sector and are motivated to assist participants in reaching their NDIS Goals and meeting their potential.

Lived Experience Guidelines

Lived experience workers are able to draw on their knowledge, attributes, abilities and experiences of service use and individual journeys of recovery to support others.

The role of a Peer Support Worker's aim is to increase understanding, identity and empathy within the community with those who have had similar experiences - this is significant in particular with culturally diverse backgrounds. The worker must have experience in a similar setting to be able to understand the experience and the navigation of these environmental settings.