Policies and Planning

Mental health, wellness, support, emotional stress, therapy concept. Communication session of woman psychologist and client. Psychotherapy or talk therapy.

Building Sustainable and Inclusive Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces

Some organisations will progress towards creating sustainable and thriving Lived Experience (Peer) workforces in small steps, creating a few initial designated Lived Experience (Peer) roles and then expanding to create career pathways later. Others may aim big, to be a force of change, creating sweeping transformations within their structures to embed Lived Experience (Peer) workers at all levels of service delivery at one time. A considered, informed and staged approach that is aligned to the organisational readiness guidance provided in the National Guidelines is key to building a sustained workforce.

Depending on the nature of the service delivery at your organisation, having designated Lived Experience (Peer) specialty roles is likely to be appropriate. Having a diverse range of workers with a variety of lived experiences recognises that the individuals’ agencies seek to serve, come with a range of experiences and backgrounds. In direct peer support roles, it provides better options and opportunities for individuals to find someone with whom they have a shared experience (e.g. Alcohol and Other Drugs Peer Worker, Family/Significant other/Carer Peer, Mental Health Peer Worker etc).

Within these specialties, an opportunity exists to create multiple designated Lived Experience (Peer) roles at all levels of service delivery, each bringing a Peer lens, filtered through the knowledge and expertise of their specialty area (e.g. LGBTIQA+SB Senior Peer Educator, Director of First Nations Mental Health Services, Rural and Remote Alcohol and Other Drug Strategic Advisor etc). This Lived Experience (peer) Worker Role levels document has been developed to provide examples of Lived Experience (Peer) roles and role expectations, noting that this document was developed to support the growth of the Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces so is intended to serve as a guide only.

No matter the pace, or the breakdown of roles, the following sections are designed to support all organisations to expand/embed Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces in their organisation.

• Recruitment
• Induction, Onboarding and Training
• Retention

Recruitment

Hiring practices need to be consistent with your organisation’s mission and values and Peer principles to signal your commitment to the Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces.

Your organisation should be committed to engaging the preferred applicant through equitable and transparent processes aimed at assessing a candidate’s suitability for the position based on the job’s roles and responsibilities aligned to key selection criteria and values that directly relate to the role, keeping diversity, inclusivity, accessibility and adaptability in mind.

Targeted Advertising

Placing your job advertisement in traditional locations might not necessarily be targeting the people you are searching for.

Many Lived Experience (Peer) organisations and networks are open to including job opportunities in their newsletters or website (e.g. CoMHWA, Mental Health Commission Stakeholder Connect newsletter, CARE Hub). Advertising in specialised Peer network circulations can be helpful when recruiting for specialised roles (e.g. placing an ad in a local LGBTQIA+SB Group newsletter).

For a detailed look at how to craft effective and inclusive job advertisements that resonate with our diverse community, please refer to our comprehensive guide available in this PDF Job Advertisement Example

Alternative Recruitment Pathways

Consideration could be given to alternative ways of recruitment such as events or group interviews that can provide the opportunity to observe interpersonal dynamics and process a high volume of candidates.

An example of how a recruitment event might run: an ad is placed to attract interest for the event and to manage attendees. Applicants are asked to answer a few simple questions in their registration. If an applicant meets the basic job requirements, they are invited to attend a networking event with the option to interview on the day.

During the event, the program and job description are presented to the attendees followed by a panel of current workers with similar roles talking about their experiences and answering questions.

Attendees could then choose to participate in a ‘speed interview’ process where organisation representatives from peer support, human resources, and line management can conduct brief interviews while others can use the space to network and connect with each other, which can break the ice and reduce anxiety. Events of this kind allow for multiple assessor perspectives across a high volume of attendees while improving efficiency of recruitment. It also provides a safe and engaged environment for candidates to be interviewed in a trauma-informed way.

Creating a Lived Experience workforce starts with embracing Peer values in the recruitment stages; specifically, viewing the process through a trauma-informed and strengths-based lens, and understanding the values and diversity you’d like to see in your workforce.

Values and Principles Based Recruitment

Values-Based Recruitment (VBR) is an approach designed to attract and select employees whose attitudes, values, and behaviours align with those needed for a specific role and the broader mission of the organisation.

In the Lived Experience (Peer) context, you may also encounter the term Principle-Based Recruitment (PBR). This term reflects a deeper alignment with the foundational principles of lived experience work. This section offers nationally developed resources to support recruitment practices for Lived Experience (Peer) roles.

Integrating VBR or PBR into your organisation’s hiring processes is a powerful way to align recruitment with the Western Australian Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework. It ensures that new team members not only bring the necessary skills but also embody the values and principles that underpin effective and authentic lived experience work.

To help embed values throughout your recruitment process, the following tools and resources provide practical guidance—from designing job ads and interviews to reference checking and involving people with lived experience in selection processes. These tools help build a team that lives your organisation’s ethos, fosters inclusivity, and strengthens cultural safety.

The National Disability Services (NDS) has developed a VBR Toolkit that includes guidance on:

  • Involving people with lived experience in selection processes
  • Conducting interviews using a values-based lens
  • Designing simulation exercises
  • Conducting reference checks that assess values alignment

Please find an example of the Values Based Recruitment template here, addressing each of the values listed in the WA Lived Experiences (Peer) Workforces Framework, why they are important, and what behaviours may be observable in people who align with these values.

Consider adding your organisation’s values to these to create a VBR template that is consistent with your specific mission and service provision. The following table has been developed using the Western Australian Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework as an example template.

Further VBR Resources:

Selection Strategies

Creating a Lived Experience workforce starts with embracing Peer practices and values in the recruitment stages; specifically, viewing the process through a trauma-informed and strengths-based lens to cater to the needs of the Lived Experience community. Lived Experience (Peers) should be included in all aspects of the recruitment process, including sitting on interview panels, and should have their time and involvement remunerated accordingly. Some critical factors to be considered when choosing the right applicant for the role:

  • Personal wellbeing (self-awareness, understanding and resilience)
  • Aligned values
  • Diversity of experience
  • Discipline specific education and training
  • Additional education and training appropriate for the role
  • Ability for teamwork and collaboration
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Work ethic
  • Communication skills

Further information is provided in the following sections including interview strategies and questions.

Reference Checks

Reference checks are an essential part of the recruitment process and must be conducted with respect for the applicant’s privacy and confidentiality.

If a candidate is applying for a designated Lived Experience (Peer) role, it is appropriate to let the referee know the position requires lived experience expertise as part of the role’s essential selection criteria. However, it is not appropriate to disclose specific personal details that may have been shared in the applicant’s resume, interview, or other materials—especially if these details were sensitive in nature.

Reference checks can be used to:

  • Confirm previous employment or voluntary experience aligned to the job’s requirements.
  • Explore whether the values and relational qualities demonstrated in the interview were evident in previous roles or, where personal referees are used, in relevant life experiences.
  • Confirm the candidate’s ability to maintain boundaries, engage with diverse populations, and work in a team or organisational setting.

NDS Values Based Recruitment Toolkit – Using a Values Based Approach to Reference Checks

Working With Children and Criminal History Check

In some roles, the Working with Children Check (WWC Check) is a compulsory screening strategy in Western Australia and the Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The WWC Check aims to protect children by:

  • Deterring people from applying to work with children where they have a relevant charge or conviction on their criminal record that indicates they may harm a child;
  • Detecting new charges and convictions of those people who hold a current WWC Card and preventing them from continuing to engage in child-related work where their criminal record and behaviour indicates they may harm a child;
  • Protecting children by creating awareness that child safety is a whole of community responsibility.

Police Records

Criminal History Check

In recognising the wealth of knowledge that comes from lived experience, it is important that applicants with a criminal conviction are not automatically excluded. For example, a worker with a lived experience of incarceration or dealings with the justice system may be an asset to your team, honouring that individuals in your organisation may work with those with similar stories. Organisations should have processes in place to support these discussions with applicants:

  • Offer choice on how they discuss their record (over the phone, in person or in writing)
  • Ask them to provide context around the events that led to the record
  • Ask them how they feel about their record now and have they reflected on it
  • Ask them how they will use this part of their lived experience to inform their role?

TIP: Avoid the word “clean” to describe a “clear” record

To ensure people aren’t discouraged from applying, it is recommended that JDFs and job adverts include a statement such as, “Successful criminal record screening. Note – a criminal record or pending charge does not necessarily preclude an individual from gaining employment in this role”. This statement could be included in all position recruitments. Additionally, you may like to include an invitation to discuss further, along with contact details for the position’s supervisor.

More information on police clearances

Setting Essential and Desirable Selection Criteria

Many job roles set out essential and desired selection criteria that include education and experience qualifications to ensure the successful applicant has the required skills to successfully fulfil their duties.

Some Designated Lived Experience (Peer) roles, depending on their speciality and the responsibilities they hold, will have minimum education, training, and experience requirements such as a Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work or equivalent (e.g. frontline Peer Support Worker), specialised training in a certain field (e.g. completion of nationally accredited Eating Disorder training), a Certificate in Training and Assessment (e.g. Lived Experience Educator), whereas others may set a master’s level or equivalent as their minimum requirement (e.g. Senior Lived Experience Strategic Advisor).

It is important to clarify the key responsibilities of the role to determine the level of education, training, and experience required and include these in the Job Description Form (or Job Definition Form) (JDF). However, it is also important to recognise Lived Experience (Peer) workforces are in their infancy and on-the-job training and professional development may be required. i.e., it might be ideal to have the Mental Health Peer Work Cert IV as a requirement, however organisations are encouraged to support the growth and professional capacity of their workforces by providing professional development, supporting staff to undertake study leave or traineeship in their role.

Work Safe WA [1] recognises repeated exposure to other people’s traumatic experiences has a cumulative effect and can result in “compassion fatigue”[2], vicarious trauma [3] and even secondary trauma[4]. To minimise the risks of harm, organisations have an obligation to ensure all their workers have the resources, information, and training to carry out their roles effectively. This is particularly relevant for Lived Experience (Peer) Workers who may experience a higher vulnerability to trauma.

While all Lived Experience (Peer) workers should be able to display a knowledge and understanding of Peer principles and how they relate to their role, organisations must ensure those in “frontline” positions, working with people experiencing acute distress or disclosing trauma, have specific training addressing:

  • Working to Peer principles – Humanity, Authenticity, Connection, Diversity, Human Rights and Mutuality;
  • Trauma-informed care;
  • Person-centred care;
  • Recovery-focused care;
  • Professional boundaries and intentional disclosure;
  • Vicarious trauma.

As an example, an essential criterion of knowledge and experience may include:

  • Experience of a life-altering health condition, with significant use of secondary health services in which significant power imbalances have been experienced.
  • To have a deep understanding of power dynamics and an ability to understand and identify how these play out in a large organisation.

Creating the Job Description Form (JDF)

A selection of state, national and international JDFs have been collected for reference. It is important to note language in the Lived Experience (Peer) space is fluid. It is therefore suggested organisations should be advised by leaders within the Lived Experience space for guidance to support recruitment practices. Consideration also needs to be given to your organisation’s own state of readiness when building a Lived Experience Workforce.

JDF samples are available here

Being clear of what the expectation is for a designated Lived Experience role is an important part of understanding the boundaries of their Lived Experience and their normal duties. As an example, a JDF may include the following;

Lived Experience (Peer)-specific duties

  • As a member of the [team], manages the strategic direction, consultation, and expert guidance on the development, implementation, coordination and evaluation of the Lived Experience program across all service streams.
  • Advises the wider [team] Lived Experience (peer) program, senior management and external stakeholders on contemporary lived experience practice, regional resourcing, and other service issues in the development, implementation and evaluation of the wider Service.
  • Participates in the [team] Peer Work Network/s and other networks.

General duties as an employee:

  • Works with the [team] to meet reporting requirements.
  • Active member of [team] quality and safety standards, and governance groups.
  • Builds effective partnerships with relevant service providers and communities.
  • Maintains records in accordance with [team] requirements.

Interview Strategies and Questions

Interviews are an opportunity to discover if an applicant has the appropriate level of skill (including self-reflection skills), experience, qualifications, knowledge and understanding of Peer principles and boundaries to start, and continue, safely and successfully work in a designated Lived Experience role.

The questions asked will vary widely depending on the role you are hiring for; those presented to someone working “frontline” with people in distress would be different to those asked of a Lived Experience Academic, Policy Officer or Researcher.

Trauma Informed Interviewing Examples

Interview Questions Examples

Questions to Avoid

  • Avoid asking about a diagnosis
  • Avoid asking about specific trauma

Induction, Onboarding and Training

To ensure your Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces develops and maintains relevant skills and experience, access to onboarding training, professional development opportunities, mentoring, and training is recommended.

As an organisation that employs Lived Experience (Peer) workers, a robust induction and onboarding process that includes specific training on what peer work is and isn’t, allows for all staff to have a solid, shared understanding of the profession across the whole organisation, not just within teams that have peer roles.

Consider training topics such as the history of peer work, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, professional boundaries, intentional disclosure, and more for all staff. In addition to training, organisations should provide a range of development opportunities such as mentoring, supervision, networking, conferences, and project-based learning to strengthen skills, support career progression, and expand growth across all roles. General leadership programs can also help staff build confidence and prepare for future responsibilities. For some ideas about training click here to go back to the training and development page.

Structures Established around Lived Experience (Peer) Workers

Having the right structures established that are flexible and trauma-informed allow for Lived Experience (Peer) workforces to have access to the tools they require to maintain wellness and perform their duties at work. While workers are encouraged to have their own external supports to draw upon, providing additional structures, such as connection with other Lived Experience (Peer) roles and networks, discipline specific supervision and professional development, helps to ensure a sustainable workforce.

“The combined effect of high work demands, low control, and low support increases the likelihood and severity of harm to a worker’s health. Conversely, high work demands with the control factors of good leadership and support can mitigate the negative impact on a worker’s health.”[1]

Timely Access to Debriefing

Due to the nature of their work, Lived Experience (Peer) workers, particularly those considered frontline, may encounter situations that would benefit from timely debriefing. It is beneficial to have a senior worker, preferably a senior Lived Experience (Peer) worker, available to discuss the events, co-reflect with, guide next steps, and escalate care of an individual using the service if necessary. If your workforce is employed outside of standard business hours, provisions should be made to ensure those workers also have access to debriefing within their usual working hours.

Your organisation can create a workplace culture where debriefing is valued and having a personal day is not frowned upon; where boundaries are encouraged and respected; where overworking is not glorified and where work/life balance is encouraged, modelled and rewarded.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)

Most large organisations in Australia have an EAP established to provide free emotional support to all staff. It is important to inform your Lived Experience (Peer) workforces that they have access to this as an additional wellness tool, and that their attendance and anything discussed in sessions is kept private and confidential from employers.

As identified in the Development section of this site, supportive workplaces, supervision, and reflective practice structures are also vital to Lived Experience (Peer) workers. Further information on these topics can be accessed by clicking on the following links:

Retention Strategies

Supporting a peer workforce is similar to a non-peer workforce with a few differences.

Flexibility is important in nurturing the art of peer work and ensuring the values of peer roles are achieved in the workplace. Recognising every person’s experience is unique requires an individualised approach will ensure each worker’s strengths are acknowledged, built on, and validated.

Additionally, flexibility around reasonable adjustments, rostering and support, are required in Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces as the role explicitly requires working from a place of vulnerability demanding additional emotional labour in comparison to other support roles.[5]

Sustainable Workforce

Whether your organisation has four or 40 Lived Experience (Peer) positions, the steps to creating sustained and sustainable workforces are the same:

✓ Undertaking organisational readiness actions, aligned to the National Guidelines
✓ Creating a Lived Experience (Peer)-affirming workplace through staff training in Peer Principles, trauma-informed practice, diversity and inclusivity
✓ Creating a workplace culture that continuously works to de-stigmatise mental health and alcohol and other drug challenges
✓ Embedding Peer Principles in co-designed policies and procedures (both HR and service delivery)
✓ Providing appropriate support structures and reasonable adjustments where necessary
✓ Ensuring professional development opportunities and career progression pathways both within peer work and more generally
✓ Actively working against the possibility of Peer Drift

Tips to Improve Integration within Teams

  • Establish the unique value and benefits that Lived Experience (Peer) workers bring to a team through an education session.
  • Provide accurate and clear JDFs for all members of the team; each person needs to understand what is within the scope of their role and the roles of others in the team. Read more – JDF examples.
  • Create Lived Experience affirming workplaces through education, inclusivity, and supportive trauma-informed practices. Read more on Creating a Lived Experience (Peer) Affirming Workplaces. Read more on training and development.
  • Provide access to Peer reflective/supervision sessions to allow ongoing development of peer skills and prevent or address peer drift. Read more on Reflective practice and supervision. Read more on Peer Drift.
  • Ensure collaborative work practices include Lived Experience (Peer) input at all levels of service delivery. Read more on collaborative work practices.
  • Employ strong Lived Experience leadership (or Lived Experience co-design and consultation) to guide the organisation through systemic change. Read more on recruitment strategies.

The Lived Experience Workforce Leadership & Collaboration Model produced by The Centre for Mental Health Learning (CMHL) in Victoria, is a useful resource on how to implement co-design and co-production.

The CMHL recognises that to achieve its vision (to be the centrepiece for mental health learning in Victoria; leading and driving innovation that strengthens and sustains a flexible, curious, knowledgeable and recovery-focused workforce) it must draw on the unique wisdom and expertise of the Lived Experience workforces. The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health Services, Final Report (2021), also refers to co-design or co-production in several recommendations.

Lived Experience Workforce Leadership & Collaboration Model

Wellbeing Plans

Wellbeing Plans (also known as Wellness Plans, Self-care Plans) are not just for people with a lived or living experience of mental health or alcohol and other drug use; they can be used as a tool to reflect on what keeps someone in a state of wellness and how to maintain that. They are becoming more popular across organisations as they allow for employees to share, to the level they feel comfortable, what personal wellbeing looks like for them and how they might best be supported in a work environment to maintain a state of wellbeing and balance.

What’s in a Wellbeing Plan?

A persons Wellbeing Plan can cover:

  • What wellbeing looks like for them
  • Early warning signs that they might be struggling
  • Specific triggers they wish to share
  • Actions and strategies to use if they become stressed or triggered
  • Current supports
  • How they would like to be supported in the workplace
  • Preferences for how to be approached and who to contact if they are struggling

Tips for creating a Wellbeing Plan template

  • Recognise that asking people to be vulnerable and share this information requires the building of trust and active demonstration it will be used appropriately.
  • Acknowledge that sharing this type of information may have been previously met with stigma and discrimination contributing to a reluctance to participate.
  • Use recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, strengths-based, and inclusive language. Read more on language.
  • Consider how this will be securely stored and who has access to it to ensure privacy and confidentiality.
  • Create opportunities to re-visit the plan at specific intervals. A plan created in the first month may vary significantly to one created after six or 12 months in the role, as you establish your organisation as a truly inclusive and accepting workplace.
  • Participation should be encouraged but remain voluntary.

Examples of Wellbeing Plans

This example Workplace Wellbeing Plan template is based on a current template used in the Queensland Health Service and is provided as a guide only.

Engaging Peers and Implementing a Peer Service

Deciding to embark on the process of embedding designated Lived Experience (Peer) workers for your organisation comes with rewards and challenges.

While there are many steps to this process and it has the potential to appear overwhelming, particularly for organisations employing designated Lived Experience (Peer) workers for the first time, it is worthwhile being mindful that each small step is one step closer to achieving the goal.

Embedding Lived Experience (Peer) workers in current systems and models as an ‘add-on’ will result in poor outcomes. Taking time to reflect on your organisation’s overall readiness including policies, procedures, culture, and leadership practices can help you determine if any gaps exist between your current operations and those in line with recovery-oriented practices.

You can use one of many available self-audit tools available in the Audit Tools section on the Frameworks, Toolkits and Guidance Material Page to discover what steps you can take to implement change.

If your Organisational Self-Audit suggests some of your policies and procedures are not contributing to a culture that values and respects Lived Experience, it is a great opportunity to embark on an authentic co-design process to develop living documents that you can re-visit and re-evaluate as your organisation progresses.

Below are some useful guides to assist with this process:

Creating a Lived Experience (Peer)-Affirming Workplace

The Western Australian Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework lists several actions an organisation can employ to create a safe working environment for your Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces, from which all workforces will also benefit. Organisational actions are outlined here.

The image depicts a triangle of Organisational Commitment, Organisational Strategies and Organisation culture with arrows pointing out the flow between them.

Western Australian Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework Organisational actions

[6]

Each organisation will differ in its individual structures, policies and procedures. You can see some general practical suggestions that could be adapted to suit your workplace in our induction, onboarding and training section.

Reasonable Adjustments

Lived Experience workers bring a unique perspective to mental health, alcohol and other drug, and other support services, as they have lived through similar experiences as those they are supporting. However, they also face potential stigma and discrimination based on their personal experiences. Therefore, it is crucial to create a safe and inclusive environment for Lived Experience workers in the workplace. This can involve a range of measures, including providing reasonable adjustments and flexible work arrangements, promoting open communication, providing emotional support, and recognising their valuable contributions.

Read full Reasonable Adjustments PDF here.

References