The MacKillop Institute

The MacKillop Institute is a part of MacKillop Family Services, and was established to share the experience, expertise, and evidence-based programs of MacKillop Family Services with the wider community. The MacKillop Institute draws on a wealth of experience from MacKillop Family Services’ work across Australia and the commitment of our CEO, Dr Robyn Miller, to identify, promote, and independently evaluate good practice.

The MacKillop Institute delivers upon the MacKillop Family Services strategic goal to be innovative and responsive, develop best practices and advocate for social justice. We do this by building long-term partnerships that create positive and sustainable change.

The Institute empowers other organisations with evidence-informed programs and services that promote wellbeing, resilience, and learning, based on our deep understanding of the impacts of adversity, change, loss, grief, and trauma. We work with you to share our collective knowledge so, together, we can create practical solutions tailored to your culture, your needs, and the needs of your community.

While the Institute is just getting started, our programs have been around for decades and we draw on over 100 years of experience dating back to the three founders of what became MacKillop Family Services, who were driven by a commitment to education and to social justice. We see the need, and we see the solution. By sharing our expertise and growing our resources, we can achieve a greater impact and enhanced wellbeing for families, children, and communities.

MacKillop Family Services is proud to announce that in April 2023, our Seasons for Growth suite of programs will be delivered under a new name - MacKillop Seasons. We’re the same organisation, delivering the same programs, under a new brand.

Operating for over 25 years, our Seasons for Growth suite of evidence-based programs have supported more than 400,000 children, young people and adults worldwide.

Currently delivered by Good Grief as part of our Institute, we seek to increase the change, loss and grief support we provide to Australian communities and internationally under our new MacKillop Seasons brand.

In April 2023, we will launch a new website, where you will be able to access resources and book into training; and Companions can link into Communities of Practice, purchase training materials, and access other supports that assist them to facilitate Seasons and Stormbirds sessions with children, young people and adults in their community.

For Institute learning opportunities and resources, visit The MacKillop Institute website.

For more information contact:

Introducing the Seasons for Life initiative

Seasons for Life supports high school communities across Australia with evidence-based loss and grief education following a suicide or other loss event. It strengthens the capacity of young people, and the adults supporting them, to understand and respond well to change, loss and grief.

Seasons for Life is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and is offered to high schools at no cost. High schools participating in Seasons for Life will have:

• Nominated staff trained to deliver the Seasons for Growth program for young people, including program manuals and student journals
• Nominated staff trained to deliver the accompanying parent session, including a session for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander parents/carers
• Support to implement the Seasons for Growth program, including: coaching support from a Seasons for Life Coordinator, access to a Community of Practice and a step-by-step school guide
• A Seasons for Life Coordinator to provide an all-staff professional learning session about change, loss and grief and responding to the needs of young people, including following a suicide related loss