Helping to Support Families
CPS recognises that significant life experiences can impact on the complex and challenging task of parenting.
Our dedicated Family Services team provides a range of free, community-based programs for families who are experiencing difficulties.
All parents require support to provide a nurturing environment for their kids but while some receive this support from their family, friends and communities, others require assistance from services like CPS. We can offer:
- Counselling and support to assist in resolving family problems;
- Social support for parents and children;
- Information and advice about child development and links to children's services including kindergartens, child care and playgroups;
- Individual and group-based support, education and skills development to help parents and carers raise happy, healthy kids;
- Assistance for parents getting help from other services such as housing, Centrelink, disability services, adult health services and child health services;
- Support and assistance to families to address the causes and harms of child abuse/neglect;
- Information and links to other community groups and services as needed.
Our qualified and experienced staff works together with families to identify their needs and develop goals to address those needs.
Neighbourhood-based teams in Darebin, Whittlesea, Banyule and Nillumbik offer personal, practical and social support to families with children aged 0-18years.
Appointments can be in your own home, our offices at Heidelberg or Thomastown, or another agreed place.
Actual client feedback described our Family Services as:
"Extremely helpful, friendly and professional".
“The help that was given to us was way beyond anything that we could have imagined".
"They made you feel comfortable and are non-judgmental. I highly recommend them to others".
CPS also hosts, co-hosts and supports a number of groups including:
- Grandparents Group, which offers support to kinship carers and meets every second Monday during the school term between 1 and 3 pm;
- Kid Thrive Groups, a music therapy-based aspirational group hosted at the Charles La Trobe School (Olympic Village campus on Tuesdays and Macleod campus on Thursdays).
- Multicultural Friendship Group, which meets at Anglicare Lalor on Wednesdays from 10am to 12.30pm to help culturally and linguistically diverse parents experiencing social isolation;
- Social Skills Group, a school-based support for children struggling socially which meets on Thursdays at Preston North East Primary School;
- Toybox Playgroup, a supported playgroup for vulnerable families, that meets at Banyule Community Health Centre on Mondays from 1 to 3pm;
- Transition Programs that offer support for students struggling in their transition to primary school or secondary school at Preston North East Primary School, Reservoir East Primary School , Lalor Garden Primary School and Charles La Trobe School’s Olympic Village and Macleod campuses.
To find out how you can get a referral into one of these groups or for further information on other ways we can help your family, please contact CPS Intake on (03) 9450 0900.
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Read 'The Healing Process', a short case study of a child helped by CPS