Family Services

Counselling Services:

Family and Relationship counselling

Counselling for individuals, couples and families who are experiencing person and relationship difficulties

Grief Counselling

Grief counselling for those who are suffering loss through death (can also be through separation and divorce).

Marriage and Relationship Education

Pre-marriage education courses

Family Skills Training Program

Parenting programs aimed at parents of children between 0-8 years. Courses such as 123 Magic; Parents and Teenagers; offer a practical 'hands-on' approach, which supports parents as the primary educators and caregivers. Centacare staff are highly skilled and professional.

Workshops and courses are organised in response to needs in the community. Centacare takes its programs to pre-schools, school community groups and diverse ethnic cultural groups.

Illawarra (02) 4227 1122
Macarthur & Southern Highlands (02) 4628 0044
Shoalhaven (02) 4221 8248
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Centacare Children's Contact Service

This program provides services for children having access visits with their non residentail parent during times when there may be unresolved conflict between parents. The services range from a supervised drop off and pick up point for the children to fully supervised access visits between the child and non residential parent. The program offers support and education to enable parents to move into a position where they can manage contact themselves.

School Student & Family Program

This program assists Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong in enhancing the well being and development of students and the school community. Counselling, groupwork and community education are offered to children and families. School personnel are also offered support, consultation and inservice training to further assist students.

Illawarra and Shoalhaven (02) 4227 1122
Macarthur and Southern Highlands (02) 4628 0044

Age Care Services

Community Aged Care Packages

Care and support are provided to frail, elderly people who are eligible for low level residential care but who prefer to remain in their own homes. The service is presently targeted at financially disadvantaged people and people of non-English speaking background in the Wollongong and Shellharbour Local Government area.

Community Visitors Scheme

Volunteers visit elderly people in residential care who are at risk of social isolation from the community because of limited contact from family and friends, disability or linguistic and cultural reasons. Volunteers share conversations, hobbies, interests and social activities.

Disabilities

Office of Disabilities

The Office of Disability is an initiative of the Bishop of Wollongong to provide information and support to people with a disability, their families and carers in parishes and community.

Who can use the service?

The project is developing a database of people with disabilities their families/carers throughout the Diocesan area. To register as part of this database and be included on our mailing list for information and newsletters please complete the form.

One of the projects the Office of Disability is undertaking is to compile a service directory for use by people with disabilities, their families and carers.

To facilitate the collection of information for the directory, all Parishes within the Diocese are asked to complete a form outlining existing support organisations/groups.

If you, your organisation/group wish to have details regarding the service you provide included in the directory please complete the service informatin form.

Flexible Options

Children's Out of Home Services

Foster Care Program

Centacare's Foster Care Program provides crisis, short term and long term care for children from birth to twelve years of age. Children needing care are often at risk of abuse or neglect and their parents are in need of time out to get their lives in order. Centacae depends on foster carers to open their homes to children giving them love and understandingt before they are returned home to their parents. Sometimes, despite out best efforts children are placed with Foster Parents on a long term basis. Enquiries on being Foster Parents:

South West Sydney Access Program

The aim of this service is to maintain the needs of children, who are under the care of the Director General, to have contact with their primary carer in a safe and non-threatening environment. The service facilitates supervised visits, supporting children to develop and enhance their relationships and assisting positive interaction between the child and their primary caregiver.

Personal Support Program

This Government funded program has been developed to provide support for unemployed people in receipt of a benefit who are not capable, due to the severity or multiplicity of their social barriers, to effectively obtain and maintain employment.

Centacare provides assistance via one-to-one mentoring, referrals to external agencies; and where appropriate, referrals to specialist professional counsellors, health professionals and groupwork providers.

Illawarra (02) 4227 1122 - Macarthur (02) 4620 0424 - Shoalhaven (0419647991)
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Chaplaincy with Juvenile Justice

This service operates within Juvenile Justice institutions. The Chaplain is concerned with the care of all people within the institution and those affected by the institutions (residents, relatives and staff), regardless of religioius denomination affiliation, or lack of affiliation.

Natural Family Planning

Natural Family Planning provides professional advice to couples wanting to use natural family planning methods to avoid pregnancy or at times to assist with a fertility problem.

Counselling Program Fee Policy