Is CatholicCare Victoria a not-for-profit charity?
Yes, we are an ACNC (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission) registered charity with DGR (deductible gift recipient) status.
Is CatholicCare Victoria only for Catholics?
No, our services are offered to people from any cultural, religious or faith background. While our Catholic values are the cornerstone of who we are and how we work, we provide care for everyone who needs us. Similarly, our staff come from all backgrounds and faith beliefs, and this enables us to provide culturally appropriate support to the people we help.
How does CatholicCare Victoria support the community?
Our compassionate and dedicated staff offer a wide variety of supports including counselling and mental health programs, employment help, affordable housing, support for separating families, refugee and asylum seeker help, specialised supports for children and teens, pastoral care, crisis help, homelessness and advocacy support, and a range of courses helping to strengthen relationships and wellbeing.
How many people does CatholicCare Victoria support?
In FY21 we supported over 39,700 people across Victoria. We work to ensure that our support also has positive flow-on effects for families and loved ones – in this way, we aim to build stronger and more resilient communities.
How are donations to CatholicCare Victoria used?
While many of our services are government funded, some of our services receive no funding. Sometimes the funding is not enough to meet demand, or people don’t quite meet the funding criteria to access a funded service. Donations mean we can offer services to vulnerable families and individuals who would otherwise fall through the gaps.
Why does CatholicCare Victoria charge for some services?
Some of our programs are subsidised by government – for these programs we are required to charge fees. A co-contribution means we can extend our service to more people, and a sliding scale ensures we can offer services to people who are least able to afford it (using a sliding scale means that the fees charged are dependent on a person’s income).
Why does CatholicCare Victoria have paid workers?
We employ trained workers who are skilled in providing specialised, best practice support to people in need. We also have volunteers who support our work and enable many of our services to continue running. We are very grateful for the dedicated support we receive from our volunteers, but we cannot rely solely on volunteers to provide ongoing, expert support in the many specialised fields we work within.
How does CatholicCare Victoria ensure the safety of children?
At CatholicCare Victoria we actively work to listen to, empower and protect children, and we have zero tolerance for child abuse and neglect. All of our staff and volunteers are required to have Working With Children Checks (WWCC) and Police Checks, and we ensure that WWCC are kept up to date. We also provide child safe training to all of our staff, and we analyse and modify our working environments to ensure we provide child safe settings. Learn more about child safety at CatholicCare Victoria on our Child Safety webpage.
Is CatholicCare Victoria part of the Catholic Church?
CatholicCare Victoria is the social service agency of the four Catholic dioceses across Victoria. CatholicCare Victoria is a Company limited by guarantee whose members are the four bishops in Victoria. We are mission in action, and our Catholic values are the cornerstone of who we are and how we work.
Does CatholicCare Victoria receive funding from the Catholic Church?
We receive some funding and in-kind support from the Church, however the needs of the community are high. We must fundraise in order to assist the increasing numbers of vulnerable and marginalised people in Victoria, and we are very grateful to those in our community who choose to support us by making a donation to help others in need.
How is CatholicCare Victoria helping people in need?
We empower people to make positive changes in their life, and help build the skills and support networks they need to overcome the challenges in their life. Visit our Impact webpage to listen to some of the people we’ve supported, or head to our News to read client stories and more about what we do.