Child, Youth & Family Supports

Our family support services are diverse and include support groups, Family Connect and Support, playgroups, youth services, casework support and much more.

We provide home and centre based support for children, young people, individuals and families across the Lower North Shore, Northern Beaches, Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai areas.

We will listen to the challenges you are facing, do an assessment of your needs and if we can support your family, our experienced Case Workers can assist with a range of challenges such as child development or behaviour issues, family breakdown, social isolation, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, gambling, housing issues, childcare or other support issues.

CHILD, YOUTH & FAMILY CASEWORK

FAMILY CONNECT AND SUPPORT

SUPPORTED PLAYGROUPS

our youth supports

We recognise that all families have strengths but some need help in difficult times.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are family support services?

Parenting can be a tough gig, and we all need a little support from time to time.

We will listen to the challenges you are facing, do an assessment of your needs and if we can support your family, our experienced Case Workers can assist with a range of challenges such as child development or behaviour issues, family breakdown, social isolation, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, gambling, housing issues, childcare or other support issues.

Do you support non-English speaking families?

Yes, we can organise for you to connect with us via a translation service. Let us know if you need this.

Do you support families experiencing food insecurity?

Life is expensive. We do offer some limited emergency relief food support. Call us on 1800 324 924 to see if you are eligible. We cover the Central Coast, Northern Beaches, Upper North Shore, Lower North Shore and out to West Ryde. Unfortunately we cannot provide services outside of these geographic areas due to funding limitations.

I am not Catholic, can I still access your service?

Yes, our service provides support to all families across the Lower North Shore, Northern Beaches, Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai LGA’s.

latest news

Mediation leads to successful nesting arrangement

When Sylvia and Edward decided to separate, they never imagined they would end up in a successful nesting arrangement, where their children stay in the family home and the separated parents move in and out on a rotating basis. It was through mediation with CatholicCare that Sylvia and Edward were able to explore nesting as an option and, ultimately, to devise a parenting agreement to make it happen.

NAIDOC Week 2025 – The Next Generation

CatholicCare is proud to celebrate NAIDOC Week y amplifying the voices, stories, and aspirations of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. This year’s celebrations are all about empowering the next generation of leaders - our young people who carry culture forward with pride, resilience and hope.

Train adventures give participants choice & control

When participants and their parents have their voices heard, wonderful things can happen. The words ‘choice and control’ are bandied about a lot in the disability space, but this story shows how crucial they are to a person’s wellbeing and happiness.

Davika emerges from a web of violence

As they grew up, the two friends went their separate ways. Davika had settled into life as a single mum in India, and Priyanka had moved to Australia to marry an Australian man. Life, as Davika knew it, changed forever when Priyanka returned to India for a holiday with her husband and her husband’s Australian brother, Steve.