Senior Lived Experience Peer Practitioner – The Way Back Support Service
Full Time | Fixed Term to 30 June 2026
Ashgrove, Brisbane

Award: SCHCADS Award – Community Services Worker Level 6
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:36pm

About Communify

Communify supports people across all life stages to live active, healthy and socially connected lives.
We work alongside people in areas including:

• Mental health and psychosocial support
• Aged care, disability, housing & homelessness
• Children, family & individual support
• Drug & alcohol recovery and NDIS

Through our neighbourhood centres and community development programs, we also provide emergency relief, food security programs, multicultural support, social inclusion activities, community gardens and more.

About The Way Back Support Service

The Way Back is a non-clinical aftercare service for people who have experienced a suicidal crisis or suicide attempt.
We provide trauma-aware, person-driven, psychosocial support in the first 3 months following a suicidal crisis, working in partnership with Brisbane Youth Service (BYS) across the Brisbane North region.

We see clinical and psychosocial care as complementary, not competing – and Lived Experience is central to how we walk alongside people in distress.

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Lived Experience Peer Practitioner to provide leadership, mentoring and high-quality Lived Experience Peer practice within The Way Back Support Service.

In this role, you will:

• Provide non-clinical, person-driven, psychosocial peer support to people after a suicidal crisis or attempt.
• Hold a specialist Lived Experience perspective around suicidal distress, crisis and recovery.
• Provide Lived Experience leadership, guidance and mentoring to Peer Practitioners and the broader team.
• Support the day-to-day program delivery, working closely with the Team Leader and Manager.
• Advocate for the Lived Experience perspective across the service and within key partnerships.

This role will particularly support participants who may have complex needs around engagement, distress and safety, using trauma-informed, recovery-oriented and strengths-based approaches.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide Individualised, practical peer support to people referred to The Way Back after a suicide attempt or suicidal crisis.
• Work alongside participants to develop self-determined, meaningful support plans, including what keeps them connected to safety and wellbeing.
• Support people to identify and connect with services important to their recovery (e.g. health and clinical services, housing, employment, family and domestic violence supports, community services).
• Apply your Lived Expertise to understand what makes people vulnerable to wanting to end their lives, including intersectional experiences and priority groups.
• Support people to increase personal capacity to respond to times of decreased wellbeing and crisis, including self-determined safety planning.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to other Lived Experience (Peer) staff to strengthen Lived Experience practice across the team.
• Support workload allocation, demand management and reporting, in collaboration with the Team Leader and Manager.
• Contribute to workforce planning and recruitment of Lived Experience staff.
• Ensure high quality documentation and accurate case notes for funding and reporting requirements.
• Participate in and support Lived Experience communities of practice, co-reflection and ongoing professional development.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal teams, clinical partners and other community services to promote Lived Experience perspectives.

About You

You bring personal and/or collective Lived Experience of suicidal distress or crisis, and have used that experience intentionally and safely in a peer support context.

Essential:

• Cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work (or equivalent)
• Minimum 5 years paid experience in frontline Lived Experience Peer roles
• Training and demonstrated practice in Intentional Peer Support and/or other Lived Experience practice frameworks
• Experience in Lived Experience leadership, mentoring or senior peer roles
• Strong practice knowledge in mental health and suicidal distress Lived Experience
• Demonstrated experience supporting a diverse range of participants, families and carers
• Experience working in trauma-informed, person-driven and recovery-oriented ways
• Ability to translate clinical risk language into Lived Experience, person-driven practice
• Highly developed communication, interpersonal, organisational and admin skills, including comfort with data and case management systems
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with community agencies and government services
• Interest and/or experience working alongside communities known to be at higher risk of suicide (e.g. men, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQA+ and gender diverse communities, CALD communities)

Desirable:

• Tertiary qualifications in Mental Health or Social Services
• Experience applying Lived Experience practices in supporting people and/or families experiencing distress
• Knowledge of Brisbane-based mental health and social services

Core Requirements

• Blue Card & Yellow Card (or ability to obtain)
• Satisfactory National Police Check
• Open Queensland Driver Licence

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Communify is committed to being an inclusive organisation. We warmly welcome applications from people of all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTIQA+ communities, people living with disability, and people with diverse Lived Experience of distress, disadvantage and marginalisation.

How to Apply
Please visit our careers page: https://communify.connxcareers.com/Job/ViewJobs

Please submit your resume and a cover letter outlining:

1. Your Lived Experience and why you are passionate about Lived Experience Peer work in suicide aftercare.
2. How you meet the Essential Selection Criteria listed above.

Applications close:15 December 2025