Peer support for Head to Health hubs

Peer workers are an important part of the multidisciplinary teams at our Head to Health Clinics. They help provide and advocate for person-centred mental health care.

North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) is collaborating with the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC) to establish a peer workforce in the three HeadtoHelp hubs in our region.

Peer support for Head to Health hubs will:

• allow Head to Health clients to access to a peer worker who has lived experience of mental health challenges
• assist in linking clients to a wider group of peers through VMIAC’s CHECK-IN program
• provide training and support for Head to Health hub staff, to help them further work in a way that holds the client’s perspective at the centre of decision making.

The intended outcomes of this program are:

• Head to Health clients receive strengths-based, recovery-oriented support from a peer worker, which complements the clinical support already available at Head to Health Hubs
• Head to Health hubs build capacity to integrate a peer workforce into service delivery
• Head to Health clinicians understand the value and role of a peer workforce.