The Peer Cadet Program provides paid work experience opportunities for Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work students in Victoria. These roles are dedicated part-time lived and living experience positions at non-government community mental health service providers.

Peer Cadet Program host organisations include Mind Australia, Neami National, Each, Uniting Victoria Tasmania, cohealth, Wellways, Ballarat Community Health, Eating Disorders Victoria and ermha365. Read our Peer Cadet Program FAQs (PDF 169 KB) to find out more.

Mind Australia

Mind’s Peer Cadet Program is a 10-month placement at a number of sub-acute, youth and centre-based services, dependent on location. Cadets participate in co-reflection, supervision and workshops delivered both in-person at Mind’s Support Hub in Burnley and online. Cadetships are available for people with a lived experience of mental health challenges, and/or being a carer or supporter of a loved one with mental health challenges.

The final six weeks of your cadetship will focus on preparing you for finding and securing employment in the lived and living experience workforce. Placements are available at services in Melbourne, Bendigo, Wodonga, Abbotsford and Frankston.

Click here for more information or email [email protected] 

Each

Each offers a 10-month cadet program providing peer cadets with two lived and living experience placements across the organisation. Cadets receive organisational induction and lived and living Experience orientation on commencement, alongside ongoing professional development. This includes voluntary weekly peer reflective practice sessions, quarterly communities of practice, and monthly professional supervision with an experienced peer worker.

Placements may be based at the following Each sites: Boronia, Box Hill, Dandenong, Knox, Lilydale, Narre Warren, Pakenham, Ringwood and Ferntree Gully.

Click here for more information or email [email protected] 

Wellways

Wellways peer cadets are supported by a dedicated Peer Cadet Coordinator, discipline specific supervision, communities of practice, skills-based workshops, and a network of fellow cadets and Wellways trainees.

Each peer cadet has a service ‘home base’ and the opportunity to experience different support services throughout the program.

Click here for more information or email [email protected]

Eating Disorders Victoria

Eating Disorder Victoria’s consumer and carer peer cadets work within several teams throughout their cadetship depending on their areas of interest and the current program offering.

Candidates with consumer lived experience must align with the ‘recovered’ indicators:

  • can reflect and learn from their experience, and has achieved emotional distance from their experience
  • can manage their own mental health and can recognise when to seek help when at risk
  • is open to, and able to consider, a wide range of different eating disorders.

Carer candidates must align with the following indicators:

  • non-active carer who has provided care for an individual experiencing an eating disorder who now fits ‘recovered’ definition
  • they may still be involved in providing support and carer but not in the same active capacity for two years.

Click here for more information or email [email protected] 

Uniting Victoria Tasmania

The Uniting cadetship program is designed for individuals who have lived experience of mental health challenges and/or experience as a carer supporting someone with mental health challenges. The program begins with a four-week induction period that focuses on building connections through group activities, introductions, site visits, and skill development sessions.

Ongoing support is provided through regular supervision with the Peer Cadet Lead, participation in a Peer Cadet Community of Practice, and placement check-ins. These supports aim to foster growth, strengthen skills, and build capacity within lived and living experience roles, while preparing participants for future employment. Cadets also have opportunities to connect with and learn from the broader Lived and Living Experience Workforce (LLEW) at Uniting.

Throughout the cadetship, consumer and carer peer cadets are placed across a range of teams, depending on their interests and the current program offerings.

Applicants with consumer lived experience are expected to meet the following ‘recovered’ indicators:

  • Ability to reflect on and learn from their experiences, with a level of emotional distance
  • Capacity to manage their own mental health and identify when to seek support if needed
  • Willingness and ability to share lived experience safely and purposefully

Placement opportunities are available across services located in Cheltenham, Coburg, Preston, Prahran, and St Kilda.

For more information email [email protected] 

Neami National

Neami’s 10-month program includes a four-week orientation, four months at a first placement location, three weeks orientation booster, four months at a second placement service, and then a one-week program wrap-up to support the next stages of the career journey and celebrate time in the Peer Cadet Program.

Placements are available at participating Neami services across the north and east of Melbourne, such as the Whittlesea Local Mental Health service in South Morang, the Commonwealth Psychosocial Support program in Broadmeadows, and the Youth Residential Recovery program in Noble Park. Please note that all placements will be finalised based on service capacity and mentor availability.

Click here for more information or email [email protected]

cohealth

cohealth offers a range of placement opportunities at their youth residential, community-based outreach and Mental Health and Wellbeing Local services across inner and outer west Melbourne. Within these settings, cohealth is offering both peer worker and peer recovery coach roles as part of their Peer Cadet Program.

Click here for more information or email [email protected] 

Ballarat Community Health

This Peer Cadet Program for people with a lived experience of mental health challenges and/or being a carer or supporter of someone with mental health challenges begins with a four-week orientation. Ballarat Community Health cadets then undertake three placements across the organisation with opportunities in multi-disciplinary teams.

Ballarat Community Health cadetships are flexible and adaptable to the individual.

Click here for more information or email [email protected]

ermha365

Peer cadets at ermha365 have the opportunity to work across multiple programs within multi-disciplinary teams. Their program begins with a four-week induction period focussing on getting to know each other via connection-based activities, meet and greets, site tours and skill-building sessions.

Ongoing support includes regular supervision with the Peer Cadet Lead, co-reflection with all cadets and placement check-ins to support growth, development and capacity building within the lived and living experience role, supporting job readiness in the future.

ermha365 cadets have a dedicated mentor who is best matched to their needs throughout each program placement rotation. Placements for people with a lived experience of mental health challenges and/or being a carer or supporter of someone with mental health challenges are available at services in Dandenong South and Geelong.

Click here for more information or email [email protected]

Current Peer Cadet Program positions 

Applications for the 2026–2027 Peer Cadet Program are now open. Host organisations will advertise their Peer Cadet positions between 23rd April 2026 and 1st May 2026. Please refer to each individual job advertisement for specific requirements and application closing dates. Positions will be posted on this page as they become available for applications.

Peer Cadet Program applicants are required to attend or watch an online information session on Wednesday 22 April 2026. A recording of the information session can be viewed here.

Cohealth
Each
Eating Disorders Victoria
ermha365
Mind Australia:

This year, Mind has 3 Peer Cadet positions:

Neami
Uniting
Wellways