Survey to inform development of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Association

Overview

The peer workforce in Australia has expanded significantly over time and plays an important role in the delivery of effective mental health and suicide prevention services. As outlined in the 2022-2032 National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025–2035, peer workers would benefit from enhanced pathways to promote career development and growth, including structures to support supervision and mentoring.

The National Mental Health Workforce Strategy built on the 2019 Towards Professionalism Report which noted concerns including the organisational culture and support required to integrate peer support services, issues of stigma and discrimination towards the peer workforce, and the need for training, certification and professionalisation of peer workers. These issues are echoed by the Roses in the Ocean discussion paper Expanding the suicide prevention peer workforce: an urgent and rapid solution to Australia’s suicide challenge.

In 2020 the National Suicide Prevention Advisor’s Final Advice included a recommendation to fund and implement support structures to build the lived experience peer workforce. In July 2022, the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum released a Position Statement: Establishment of a National Peer Workforce Association. The statement notes that a national peer workforce professional association would build capacity within the peer workforce and decrease high turnover, increase career pathways, support the establishment of senior peer worker and peer leaders and develop a national agreed peer supervision framework.

About the consultation process

In the 2024-25 Commonwealth Budget, the Australian Government announced one-off seed funding to support the establishment and initial operation of a National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Association (the association). The association will encompass  consumer and carer peer workers of both mental health and suicide prevention specialities. While the association will focus on peer workers in mental health and suicide prevention at the outset, there is potential for expansion to other sectors once it is established. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the Department) appreciates the interconnections and value in including other sectors’ peer workers when it is possible to do so.

The Department will undertake an open competitive grant opportunity to select an entity to establish the association in mid-2025. The Department aims to have contracted an entity by late 2025. Available activity funding for the association will span from 2025-26 to 2027-28.

In the 2024-25 Commonwealth Budget, funding was also announced for a national census of mental health and suicide prevention peer workers. The Department is commissioning a census which is anticipated to open in late 2025.

Privacy notice

Your personal information is protected by law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and is being collected by the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the Department), via Citizen Space, for the purposes of informing the development of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Association. Your answers to the survey may include sensitive information such as, your email address, your perspective in completing this survey (i.e. are you a peer worker etc) and type of peer worker. The Department will collect your personal information at the time that you complete the survey, however, you can terminate the survey at any time,  prior to submitting. The Department’s Privacy policy outlines how we comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and what to do if you think we have mishandled your personal information.

Why your views matter

The Department has been seeking feedback on scope of the activity to be undertaken by the association and eligibility criteria for the entity to be selected to establish the association.

This survey provides an opportunity to hear from mental health and suicide prevention peer workers and interested stakeholders (which may include peer workers from other sectors).

This survey closes on 21 July 2025.