Centacare Catholic Family Services held a second innovative African Dads and Kids Camp in November 2009 in partnership with Victoria Police to help refugee families strengthen their family bonds as they adjust to their new lives in Australia. The camp at Phillip Island involved nine African men and nine of their children aged between nine and 16 years. Most of the participants were from Sudan and have escaped situations of conflict and brutality.

Attention all married couples, whether you’ve been married for 2, 20 or 60+ years! Centacare Catholic Family Services’ Marriage and Relationship Education Unit offers a range of programs – any of which can help you deepen your understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of your marriage. Choose one or more that suit you!

The GodStart Program is available to assist parishes in their efforts to keep in touch with families in the early years before their child enters school. The program enables parishes to take an active role in helping parents teach their child about the love of God, remembering them through the GodStart Kit, which includes a series of beautifully illustrated cards and a prayer book.

GodStart is very much a parish initiated program and can be altered or varied to suit the needs of each parish community. Centacare’s GodStart Support and Resource Office can offer advice and assistance to tailor the program to your parish’s individual needs, including those parishes in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

For more information, please contact GodStart Project Officer Mellisa Keast on (03) 9926 5591 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

• Download GodStart brochure (PDF)
• Download GodStart Order Form (PDF)
  

Many Vietnamese community groups were consulted in the development of Centacare’s Vietnamese Couples Program. The feedback from the Vietnamese community to the Vietnamese workers was used to design and resource a program that would be most relevant to Vietnamese couples in Australia.

Bringing Your Baby Home is a program for couples expecting their first baby or who have a baby under 12 months of age. The program assists couples to build knowledge and  skills to constructively manage the many changes that occur with the birth of a child. The program was developed by Drs John and Julie Gottman and has a very strong research base. Their research found that healthy infant development, good parenting and raising children who are emotionally connected go hand in hand with parents who have a good, satisfied relationship.

A relationships program tailored to meet the needs of students in years 11 and 12

[ Click here to download a brochure (PDF) ]

Developing Healthy Relationships…that’s what we do; but we are so much more than that! The Centacare Developing Healthy Relationships Team can present a range of sessions to students to assist in building healthy relationships with self, family, others and community. This is done in a dynamic, relevant, interactive and fun way. We pride ourselves on making a connection with the students that is both encouraging and personal.