Building and sustaining the AOD peer workforce
Key principles and insights from a sector consultation on the implementation of a Peer Leadership Framework
2026
Meaningful peer leadership requires influence, representation and shared decision-making at all levels of an organisation. Strengthening the AOD peer workforce requires governance structures, leadership pathways and workforce development opportunities that enable people with lived-living experience to shape organisational priorities and direction.
QuIVAA and QuIHN worked collaboratively to develop and implement an AOD Peer Leadership Framework, and ARCSHS undertook a statewide consultation to evaluate its implementation.
This consultation conducted focus groups and interviews with 46 staff and stakeholders in these two organisations on their implementations, with the goal of informing and strengthening the ongoing implementation, sustainability and impact of the lived-living experience AOD workforce and peer leadership across the health and community services sector.
The project presents findings through five interconnected components:
- An enabling environment
- Organisational readiness
- Organisational commitment
- Organisational culture
- Organisational strategies
Together, these represent the key organisational, cultural and structural conditions required to effectively employ, support and sustain peer workers.
The findings demonstrate that strengthening peer leadership is an ongoing process of organisational and systems change. Rather than a discrete workforce initiative, it involves addressing health inequities, challenging traditional power imbalances, strengthening lived-living experience leadership, and creating environments where peer work can be practised safely, authentically and effectively.