Survey to inform development of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Association

Content from the Australian Government: Department of Health Disability and Aging.
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“The peer workforce in Australia has expanded significantly over time and plays an important role in the delivery of effective mental health and suicide prevention services. As outlined in the 2022-2032 National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025–2035, peer workers would benefit from enhanced pathways to promote career development and growth, including structures to support supervision and mentoring.

The National Mental Health Workforce Strategy built on the 2019 Towards Professionalism Report which noted concerns including the organisational culture and support required to integrate peer support services, issues of stigma and discrimination towards the peer workforce, and the need for training, certification and professionalisation of peer workers. These issues are echoed by the Roses in the Ocean discussion paper Expanding the suicide prevention peer workforce: an urgent and rapid solution to Australia’s suicide challenge.

In 2020 the National Suicide Prevention Advisor’s Final Advice included a recommendation to fund and implement support structures to build the lived experience peer workforce. In July 2022, the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum released a Position Statement: Establishment of a National Peer Workforce Association. The statement notes that a national peer workforce professional association would build capacity within the peer workforce and decrease high turnover, increase career pathways, support the establishment of senior peer worker and peer leaders and develop a national agreed peer supervision framework.

The Department has been seeking feedback on scope of the activity to be undertaken by the association and eligibility criteria for the entity to be selected to establish the association.

This survey provides an opportunity to hear from mental health and suicide prevention peer workers and interested stakeholders (which may include peer workers from other sectors).

This survey closes on 21 July 2025.”