St Michael's Family Centre

St Michael’s Family Centre runs a supported accommodation program and, within that, a short living skills program. Currently this program is limited in depth of content and reach, as it is only offered to residents (a maximum of eight at any one time).

The program is aimed at assisting women with or without children who are homeless through issues such as domestic violence, child abuse and relationship breakdown. Domestic violence in particular is a difficult issue for people to discuss, so this program aims to enable women to gain the necessary knowledge and develop skills to allow them to take steps toward moving to a safer environment for them and their children.  Retention of children in education and attainment of Year 12 would increase significantly through the provision of support and education to these women and their families.

The project team will be involved in expansion of the current Living Skills Program and development of a business plan to assist the organisation in gaining sponsorship and/or funding. This will allow the program to be delivered to a broader audience via the children’s services offered through the centre and associated service providers.

Units in the program that need further development, possibly through partnerships with other specialist providers or organisations include:

• Positive parenting
• Budgeting
• Legal advice
• Nutrition
• Stress management
• Communication
• Self esteem
• Health care
• Personal development
• First aid
• Healthy relationships
• Coping with grief and loss
• Transition to education