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. 

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 program that consists of a four-week lived and living experience orientation, and Each’s mandatory training. Cadets are recruited into lived and living experience workforce streams and matched with a mentor within their area of interest.

All cadets at Each benefit from co-reflection with a wide variety of lived and living experience workforce staff in diverse programs. Placements are available at services in Boronia, Box Hill, Dandenong, Ferntree Gully, Narre Warren and Ringwood.

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

This Peer Cadet Program runs for 10 months starting with a four-to-six weeks of face-to-face orientation. After orientation is completed you will move into a rotation of three placements across Uniting’s support services. 

Placements can be flexible and adaptable dependant on the individual and the programs.

For more information or 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 services in Geelong, South Morang, Broadmeadows, Noble Park, Glen Waverley and Boronia.

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]

Read our Peer Cadet Program FAQs (PDF 169 KB) to find out more.

Upcoming information sessions for Peer Cadet Program intake can be found below: