At MacKillop, we work for the rights of children, young people and families to be safe, to learn, feel nurtured and connected to culture. We provide high quality services to promote healing from trauma and loss, and to enable hopeful futures.
Out of home care
Out of home care in Australia provides safe, overnight care for children and young people who cannot live with their families due to abuse, neglect, or family breakdown. It includes foster care, kinship care, residential care, and other supported arrangements.
Donate and support
MacKillop Family Services is always thankful for the generous donors, businesses, and community partners to support vulnerable children and families. Every contribution helps provide safe homes, education, and healing opportunities for those in need.
Education
MacKillop Family Services supports children and young people through outreach programs like Paw Pals, which boosts engagement and confidence through animal assisted learning. Through MacKillop Education, we also provide specialist school settings for students who cannot thrive in mainstream environments, offering safe, supportive and trauma informed learning pathways.
Family support and parenting education
MacKillop Family Services supports vulnerable children, young people, and families through trauma-informed family support, education and interventions. These services build on the strengths of families, and provide culturally safe support that promotes healing, stability, and long-term wellbeing across home, school, and community settings. As part of our broader commitment to safety and recovery, McAuley Community Services for Women, now part of MacKillop Family Services, provides vital accommodation, education and social services for women and children experiencing family violence or homelessness, supporting them toward a safer and more stable future.
Professional development
As MacKillop Family Services, we partner with organisations across the nonprofit, education, government and corporate sectors to help them create safe and supportive environments for children, young people and families. The MacKillop Institute provides evidence informed training that strengthens child safeguarding and embeds trauma informed practice. Through MacKillop Seasons, we deliver evidence-based programs that build the capacity of schools and communities to support children, young people and adults experiencing change, loss and grief.
Heritage and record service
MacKillop Family Services’ Heritage and Information Service helps individuals access historical records from Catholic orphanages and children's homes dating back to 1857. It offers support for record searches, family reunification, and understanding personal histories, preserving the legacy of care provided by the founding congregations.
Our existence as MacKillop Family Services began on 1 July 1997. But our history extends back more than 150 years, when the Sisters of Mercy, Christian Brothers and Sisters of St Joseph began their work in Australia, establishing homes for children who were orphaned, destitute or neglected, and for families in need of care and support.
