Centacare Broken Bay is a non-government, non-profit organisation.

As the Family and Welfare Agency of the Diocese of Broken Bay, Centacare offers a wide range of support services encompassing family, disability, children and aged care.

Services are universally available to residents of Northern Sydney, the Northern Beaches and the Central Coast.

Centacare works in partnership with other Agencies and in collaboration with the community it serves.

As part of the Australia-wide Centacare network and Catholic Welfare Australia, Centacare Broken Bay's voice as an advocate for social justice is strengthened, allowing it to make a significant impact on government social policy.

 

 


Aged Care

MacKillop Community Care
Centacare's Community Care packages are planned and coordinated to assist people with complex care needs, to remain living in their own homes.

Services provided include:

  • personal care such as showering, bathing and dressing;
  • home help such as light house work and assistance with meal preparation;
  • shopping;
  • transport to and from appointments; and
  • respite and social support.


Community Visitors Scheme
The Scheme is a volunteer programme that aims to lessen the isolation experienced by many residents in aged care, by creating opportunities to preserve links with their local communities.  Volunteers visit weekly and forthnightly, providing companionship and social interaction and in turn gain much from the residents they visit.

 


Children's Services

Waitara Children's Services
Centacare offer a range of services for children from its Waitara Centre.  These include Family Day Care, Occasional and Long Day Care, in addition to Before and After School and Vacation Care programmes.

Supported playgroups operate at a number of community venues across the Diocese.

 


Community Education

Relationship Education
Centacare Broken Bay offers a range of relationship education programmes, which include:

  • parent education;
  • pre-marriage education;
  • maintaining and nurturing relationships;
  • relationships in crisis; and
  • focus programme targeted at couples.

Sessions are either group workshops or with individual couples.


'Hey Dad'
'Hey Dad' parenting education programme for men is held over eight sessions.  It covers topics from understanding your children as they grow; new directions in discipline; and men as parents in today's world.

 

 

Community Services

Centacare undertake a variety of programmes addressing a range of needs across the Diocese.


Homlessness
Mary Mack's Place is a joint service between Centacare, Woy Woy Parish volunteers and the St Vincent de Paul Society.  The service provides support to homeless people including meals, access to hygiene facilities and referral to community support services.


Youth
Parish youth workers help adolescents and young adults to develop healthy relationships, a sense of belonging within the community and responsibility to community service and their own networks.


Community
Community Development workers coordinate with Parish Priests and parish leaders.  They identify resource and support networks within the local community and strengthen mutual links with other human services.


Working with Fathers
'Hey Dad' parenting education programme for men is held over eight sessions.  It covers topics from understanding your children as they grow; new directions in discipline; and men as parents in today's world.


Parish Family Ministry
Nominated by the Parish Priest, volunteers undertake a two year programme which trains them to minister to others within their parish.

 


Counselling

Centacare offers a range of services to help resolve and manage difficulties in a variety of areas.

Counselling services include individual, relationship and family counselling which are undertaken by a team of experienced psychologists, counsellors and social workers and operate from several offices across the diocese.

The service is approved by the Commonwealth Attorney General under the terms of the Family Law Act (1975).

A specialist pregnancy counselling service is also offered on the Central Coast.

 


Disability Services

Day Services
A weekday programme for adults who have left school but are not in the workforce.

Promotes independence and skill development in the use of community goods and services.  For example, use of public transport, shopping transactions, recreation and leisure activities.

Employment readiness is supported through training, skill development and pre-employment placement.


Respite Services
Respite services enables the carers of people with disability 'time out'.  The service 'steps in' to take on the caring role and activities normally provided by the full-time carer. 

Respite may take the form of a few hours per week, an occasional weekend, or a block of days once a year.


Recreation Services
For young people aged 14 to 25 years, the programme offers a wide range of activities ranging from extreme sports to theatre outings on weekends and evenings during the week.


Residential Services
The Edmund Rice Residence provides week-day accommodation for adolescents with disabilities, who are attending school(s) in the Hornsby area.

Residents are assisted with the development of living skills, with service plans designed to maximise each resident's level of independence.


Community Disability Support
The Community Disability Support Worker's role across the region is to link families and people with disabilities to information and services.

The aim is to facilitate participation in all aspects of the wider community; raise awareness of the rights of people with disabilities and support forums aimed at  educating and generating advocacy and action for a fairer and just deal.

 


Employment Support

Personal Support Programme (PSP)
This programme provides specialised support to those individuals most in need due to the severity and multiplicity of their employment barriers.

Participation in the programme is through assessment and referral from Centrelink.

 

 

Family Services

Centacare provides a range of flexible home and centre based services including practical support, information and referral to families experiencing difficulties.  Programmes include home visiting, individual consultation, group work and community development.

Educational and therapeutic groups for parents and children include: parenting, family management, domestic violence, self-esteem, assertiveness, separation and divorce.


Domestic Violence Court Support
This programme encourages and assists victims of domestic violence to use the justice system to protect them from further violence.  The programme provide a safe room, personal support, advocacy and access to legal representation for women applying for Apprehended Violence Order's (AVO's) at both North Sydney and Hornsby Courts. 

Centacare also provides ongoing assistance through women's support groups.


Housing Support
Centacare provides short-term transitional housing support and advocacy for homeless families in the Hornsby area.


Emergency Relief Programme
The Emergency Relief Programme provides assistance with financial support, advocacy and referral.


Natural Family Planning
The natural family planning programme supports women in achieving or avoiding a pregnancy throughout their different life stages through offering clinics on the Sympto-Thermal Method of Natural Family Planning across the diocese.

Educational talks to community groups, health professionals, pre-marriage groups, schools, nursing mothers and pre-menopause groups are also offered.

 

 

Mediation

Family and Child Mediation
Mediation helps separating couples reach agreement, during or after separation, on important matters such as:

  • the children's future;
  • sharing of parental responsibilities;
  • living arrangements; and
  • finances and property.

The service is provided across the diocese, and offers after hours appointments.

The service is approved by the Commonwealth Attorney General under the terms of the Family Law Act (1975).

 

 

Out of Home Care

Out of home care provides supported and independent accommodation and care within families, group homes and independent units for young people between the ages of 10 and 17 years who for a variety of reasons, are unable to live at home or with relatives.

Foster Carers are significant to the success of the programme and Centacare welcomes enquiries from residents in the area.  Services include crisis, medium and long term care.

 

 

Youth Services

The Manly Youth Support Project for young people aged 12 to 18 years is an outreach mobile service, which offers transport, education, information and referral. 

Servicing the Northern Beaches on Friday and Saturday nights, the programme aims to reduce the risk of harm due to drug and/or alcohol abuse by removing young people from dangerous situations and taking them to safe locations.

Also refer to 'Parish Youth Workers' under Community Development.