The New South Wales (NSW) peer workforce provides direct care to people of all ages who access public mental health or suicide prevention services, including acute in-patient care and care provided in the community. They also provide support to families and carers.
Peer workers draw upon their own experience of life-changing mental health challenges, suicidal distress and recovery, or their experiences as a family member or carer. They provide authentic engagement and support for people accessing mental health and suicide prevention care in NSW and are in a unique position to build connections and rapport, inspiring hope and role modelling personal recovery.
Peer workers are a professional discipline of the mental health and suicide prevention workforce. Their scope of practice includes individual and group peer support, recovery planning and goal setting, help with navigating the mental health service system, individual and systemic advocacy, education and leadership.
On 16 October 2025, The Hon. Rose Jackson, MLC, Minister for Mental Health and the NSW Ministry of Health launched Elevating Lived Experience Expertise: A Framework for the NSW Health Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer (Lived Experience) Workforce (2025).
The framework outlines the discipline-specific values and principles of peer work, scope of practice, supervision, training and workforce development strategies.
It is intended for use by NSW Health Local Health Districts, Specialty Health Networks and the Ministry of Health. It provides clear guidance to support, develop and grow the Peer Workforce across NSW Health mental health and suicide prevention services.
Peer workers can access nationally recognised training from a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to support the development of their skills, competencies and capabilities.
NSW Health funds the Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) to deliver the NSW Peer Workforce Training Program to support and develop the Peer Workforce. This program includes funding for fee-free training scholarships for peer workers to complete the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work and the Peer Navigator Unit of Competency.
The Certificate IV is a 12-month course that provides peer workers with the skills and competencies to deliver quality services. It is a nationally recognised qualification designed for people with a lived experience of mental health concerns, or experience as a family member/carer, to support others on their personal recovery journey.
The Mental Health Peer Navigation Unit provides peer workers with the skills and knowledge to support consumers and carers to navigate the mental health service system. This unit of competency supports the emerging roles of Peer Navigators in NSW, aligned to recommendations of the NSW Mental Health Commission’s Insight's Report: The Role of Peer Navigators.
Scholarships are highly sought after and are subject to eligibility criteria and availability. If you are starting employment as a peer worker for the first time, you may be eligible for a traineeship. Please speak with your preferred RTO about opportunities to access subsidised training pathways, where available.
NSW Health launched the state-wide Peer Supported Transfer of Care (Peer-STOC) initiative in 2017. Peer-STOC provides recovery focused supports led by qualified peer workers for people with complex mental health needs for a 6-week transition back home or into the community after an admission to a mental health unit.
These positions are usually based in community mental health teams and provide in-reach support to people before discharge and in the initial period after leaving hospital.
The Peer-STOC program was independently evaluated in 2020-21 by the University of Sydney, in partnership with the Australian National University. The research team included mental health academics with expertise in program evaluation and research, including lived experience researchers, clinicians, and health economists.
The evaluation found the Peer-STOC program reduced 28-day readmission rates, improved community contacts, improved consumer experiences of service and recovery outcomes, and had a net budget impact (saving) of $1.85 million over the first 3 years of the program. The Final Report is available on the NSW Health website.
In 2020, the Far West Local Health District (LHD) strengthened its approach to supporting its Peer Workforce by creating a video resource with funding from the Mental Health Commission of NSW under the NSW Lived Experience Framework Grants Program. The video provides perspectives on peer and consumer roles and the value they bring. It has been distributed to staff and partners by social media campaign, staff email signatures and the Far West LHD internal web page.
Chelsea Edwards, former Manager of Consumer and Carer Engagement MHDA, said that during filming the consistent message that came across from staff, regardless of their role, was a genuine connection to the power of lived experience, and the expertise and compassion held by the Peer Workforce.
Video for The Value of Peer Work Far West NSW
The Glad You Asked video features Northern Sydney Local Health District’s consumer peer workers and explores the nature of peer worker roles. The video celebrates the unique skillset of peer workers and uncovers aspects of the role which are not widely understood.
Video for Glad You Asked Consumer Peer Worker Video
The NSW Mental Health Commission's Peer Work page, formerly Peer Work Hub, is a free online resource that supports employers in NSW to build and strengthen their mental health Peer Workforce.
The NSW Mental Health Commission developed video resources in 2020 to promote the mental health Peer Workforce to employers. The videos capture the vision for peer work in NSW as an essential part of every mental health and community service team. The videos are practical resources that address key questions and challenges that employers may have around building or growing their mental health Peer Workforce.
There are seven new videos that cover the following topics:
Suicide prevention peer workers use their lived experience of suicidality, suicide bereavement or caring for a person who is or has been suicidal.
The NSW Government has invested $143.4 million over 4 years in Towards Zero Suicides Initiatives to 2025-26. These initiatives have recognised the importance of suicide prevention peer workers in providing personalised and compassionate care to people experiencing suicidal distress.
Suicide prevention peer workers are involved in Towards Zero Suicides initiatives including Safe Havens and Suicide Prevention Outreach Teams. More information can be found at the Suicide Prevention and Response webpage.
