Working in Older Persons Mental Health Services (OPMHS) Community Teams
A Career with Purpose, Connection and Impact
Who We Are
Older Persons Mental Health Service (OPMHS) is part of Tasmania’s Statewide Mental Health Services and provides specialist, community‑based mental health care for older people across the South, North and North‑West of the state.
OPMHS Community Teams work in partnership with older people, families and carers to support mental health, wellbeing, recovery and quality of life—primarily in people’s homes and communities. Our services are grounded in recovery‑oriented, trauma‑informed and human‑rights‑based practice and enriched by a strong and valued Lived Experience workforce.
What We Do
OPMHS Community Teams provide specialist support for older Tasmanians experiencing mental ill‑health, including:
- Community mental health assessment, treatment and recovery support
- Support for people living with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms
- Care for individuals with complex and co‑existing mental health needs
- Transitions between hospital and community
- Family and carer support, education and advocacy
- Collaborative care with primary care, aged care, non-government organisation and community services
Our consumers are older people aged 65+, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50+, and individuals with young‑onset neurodegenerative conditions who require specialised mental health support.
Our Values, Culture and the Lived Experience Workforce
OPMHS Community Teams live the One Health CARE values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence.
We also embed the core values and principles of Lived Experience practice, recognising lived experience as a form of professional expertise that is equal to clinical and academic knowledge. Our culture is underpinned by:
- Hope, empathy, mutuality and authenticity
- Equity, inclusion and social justice
- Recovery‑focused, strengths‑based and person‑directed care
- Trauma‑informed and human‑rights‑based practice
- Collaborative relationships with families, carers and communities
Lived Experience workers—including Family/Carer Peer Workers—are recognised as resources for change, contributing to meaningful service improvement, stronger engagement with families, and more recovery‑oriented systems of care.
Why Work With Us?
As leaders and teams within OPMHS Community Services, we offer:
- A genuinely supportive, inclusive and values‑driven workplace
- Dedicated Lived Experience supervision, co‑reflection and communities of practice
- Strong multidisciplinary team collaboration
- Opportunities to specialise in older persons mental health, dementia care, trauma‑informed practice and family‑inclusive approaches
- Flexible working arrangements across community settings
- Opportunities to contribute to service development, advocacy and systems change
- The chance to make a tangible difference to older people and families across Tasmania
We strongly value diversity, lived experience, reflective practice and resilience, and we actively support staff wellbeing and professional growth.
The Role – Family/Carer Peer Worker (Community Teams)
The Family/Carer Peer Worker is a direct peer support role, drawing on the worker’s personal lived experience of supporting a family member or friend with mental ill‑health. This role is a core part of OPMHS Community multidisciplinary teams and contributes a distinct, non‑clinical perspective that complements medical, nursing and allied health care.
In this role, you will:
- Work intentionally from your own lived experience, maintaining peer boundaries and role integrity
- Embed trauma‑informed, recovery‑focused and human‑rights‑based practice in all interactions
- Uphold Lived Experience values and principles, including hope, mutuality, choice, respect and authenticity
- Support families and carers to maintain their own wellbeing while supporting someone with mental illness
- Walk alongside families and carers to identify strengths, supports and pathways forward
- Foster hope, connection and understanding within the caring role
- Assist families and carers to navigate public mental health services and community supports
- Contribute the family/carer perspective in multidisciplinary team discussions, care planning and discharge planning
- Build strong relationships with internal teams, community services and Lived Experience networks
- Participate in reflective supervision, co‑reflection and professional learning as part of the Lived Experience workforce
Your work will be guided by the values of Older Persons Mental Health Service and the Department of Health and supported through specialised Lived Experience leadership and practice supervision.
What We Look For
We are seeking people who:
- Have lived experience as a family member or carer of someone with mental ill‑health
- Can clearly identify and articulate how you maintain your own sustained wellbeing
- Are compassionate, reflective and collaborative
- Value dignity, autonomy, choice and person‑centred care
- Can work respectfully with diverse families, carers and communities
- Are committed to self‑care, supervision and continuous learning
Note: - Please refer to the Statement of Duties for all the selection criteria of this position to address in your application.
Details of appointment:
Permanent part time, day worker position, working 38 hours per fortnight, commencing as soon as possible.
*notwithstanding hours to be negotiated with the successful applicant.
Applicants should note that, for a period of twelve months from the date of publication, this selection process may be used to fill subsequent or similar full time, part time, and casual vacancies.
Salary: $67,193 - $72,126 per annum (Pro rata). Our Employer 12% superannuation contribution is on top of this amount.
- Salary range is in accordance with Public Sector Unions Wages Agreement 2022
Salary Packaging:
You’ll have access to salary package a range of benefits including living expenses up to $9,010 + $2,650 in meal entertainment each FBT year + other benefits if eligible.
Benefits available to eligible candidates:
- Professional development and accelerated pathways.
- A range of leave entitlements, including study leave and Professional Development Support.
- Fitness Passport – You, and your family can access 40+ fitness facilities across Tasmania for just $14.50 per week per person, or $28.05 for a family.
More information about our Employee Benefits can be found here
Eligibility:
Successful applicants will be required to meet the essential criteria.
- Working With Children Registration
- Current Driver’s Licence
Applicants should note the following criteria are desirable:
- Experience of supporting someone (family or friend) through mental health challenges, service use, periods of healing/personal recovery
- Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work, or willingness to work towards same
Note: - Please refer to the Application Guide for more information of pre-employment check.
Download the Statement of Duties and any Associated Documents
We encourage you to review the Statement of Duties, Applicant Guide, prior to applying for an overview of the duties, program, selection process and application guidance.
Statement of Duties:
Application Guide:
How to apply:
Apply Online. Please click the "Apply" button on this screen to ensure that important questions about you are answered.
You will be prompted to complete a 1-2 page application detailing your experience, skills and knowledge as they relate to the attached Statement of Duties. A separate statement addressing the selection criteria in the Statement of Duties is not required.
For more information:
Applicants who require further information are encouraged to contact the Contact person for detailed information about the vacancy.
Miranda Ashby
OPMHS Group Director
Phone number: 0439 427 254
Email address: miranda.ashby@ths.tas.gov.au