Our Programs

Family centred program that identifies three-year-old children from families with complex needs to support sustained full participation in quality universal 3-year-old kindergarten, support parents to strengthen the home learning environment, enhance collaboration between families, kindergarten services, educators and other support service and enhance kindergarten services capacity to meet the needs of families with complex needs.

Is the governance and operational framework for the implementation, coordination, planning and management of Department of Families Fairness and Housing (DFFH)-funded Child and Family Services in the Barwon area. Bethany is the facilitating partner for the Alliance, one of the community service organisations providing DFFH-funded Child and Family Services (C&FS) across Greater Geelong, Surf Coast and Queenscliff.

In circumstances where high levels of conflict or concern for the safety and wellbeing of family members may be an issue, the Children’s Contact Service provides a supervised venue and support to children of separated parents to re-establish and or maintain a relationship with their non-residential paren.  

Provides family support activities to improve the educational, health and welfare outcomes for children (0-12 years) and their families. Bethany co-locates family services workers within local schools and kindergartens to offer group and individual services in settings such as playgroups, parenting groups, or individual or family interventions.

Provides support for women and children seeking legal protection against family violence at  the Geelong Magistrates Court. The program primarily focuses on minimising further trauma to children involved in family violence-related legal proceedings through play based intervention and offers advocacy, risk assessment and referral information for the adult.

Provides counselling to strengthen and support family relationships, prevent breakdown and ensure the wellbeing and safety of children

Provides support for highly vulnerable families who are at risk of family breakdown and the children being placed in or re-entering out of home care.

Provides short and long term case intervention to  children and their families experiencing significant and complex issues in family functioning — and where there is a risk to child/ren’s  wellbeing. The program primarily seeks to  strengthen family capacity so as to prevent intervention by Child Protection.

Provides advice and intensive case management support to relatives, extended family or the child’s network who care for a child who cannot live with their parents.

Provides support to highly vulnerable preschool children and their primary carers through centre-based and outreach support. NEWPIN group programs support primary carers to improve  parenting skills and build the parent and child relationship through intensive group and individual activities.

School Readiness Funding supports government-funded kindergartens to improve children’s outcomes in communication, social and emotional wellbeing, and access and inclusion. Bethany runs two School Readiness Programs: Working with Vulnerable Children and Connect Up.

Address the challenges many vulnerable families experience with accessing disability support needs, particularly those available through the NDIS. The family services specialist disability practitioner role will have the responsibilities of supporting families with NDIS access and participation and assisting families to navigate systems of disability support. In addition, the program provides secondary consultation to Bethany and other family services providers.

Provides support and assistance to children and young people to maintain valued family relationships during and after parental separation. The program primarily focuses on ensuring the child’s best interests in regard to their family relationships.

Playgroups connect families to community and provide a place for parents to develop skills and for children to learn.

An adapted Men’s Behaviour Change program for men who have a diagnosed cognitive impairment. The program assists men in taking responsibility for their use of family violence, with a focus on ensuring safety of women and children.

Provides a primarily phone based response to current and/or ex partners of men who are current participants in service at the Bethany Men’s Family Violence Intervention centre. The contact ensures a contemporary account of risk/s associated with the men and is crucial in assisting the current and ex partners to develop safety structures and plans.

Provides flexible government funding to people impacted by family violence. Packages are allocated via a network of specialist family violence service providers.

Provides strategic planning activities for the Integrated Family Violence (IFV) sector across the Barwon DFFH Area. The role works to the Barwon Area Integrated Family Violence Committee.

Provides a group work program for adult men that have used violent or controlling behaviours towards women and/or children.

Provides short and long term case management response/s for men who choose to use violence in their family relationships. The model enables the men to establish stronger links to specialist health and welfare services to address the often complex contributing factors to their use of violence.

Provides a coordinated response, designed to increase accountability and visibility of men who choose to use violence in their relationships.. Services include Men’s Behaviour Change group work programs, men’s case management and family safety contact .

A visible entry point for adults, children and young people who are at risk of experiencing or have experienced family violence, and for families who need support with the development and wellbeing of children. Bethany is one of several community services located at Orange Door, a multidisciplinary team that work together to provide a centralised intake and assessments response for referral to support services.

Provides technology and safety measures to assist family violence victims to remain safely in their homes.

RAMP is a multi-agency risk management panel held at a local level to coordinate responses to the safety of women and children experiencing serious threat from family violence.

Assistance for women and children experiencing family violence through active risk assessment, casework, group work and therapeutic support to improve their safety, wellbeing and recovery from the impacts of family violence.

Assistance for families, couples and single women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness through case management and access to housing.

Provides access to 11 A Place to Call Home properties coupled with client support for twelve months. Clients then transfer to long term Public Housing after twelve months.

Supporting children in families who are in the homelessness services system through case planning and therapeutic group work.

Provides advocacy and assistance, including attending VCAT hearings, for private tenants who are financially disadvantaged or are victims of family violence.

Supports renters to stay in public and social housing. Community housing renters on the Victorian Housing Register are also eligible for help from Tenancy Plus.Everyone deserves a place to call home that’s safe and secure.

Provides support to social housing tenants to sustain their tenancy and prevent homelessness. The program provides a direct response to intervene when tenancies are at risk, to establish successful tenancies and provide longer term support where this intervention is identified as essential in maintaining tenancy.

Provides a case management approach to service delivery that is family oriented, client-focused and aimed at empowering and working with families and children exiting from the homelessness service system who require additional support to establish and maintain safe and secure accommodation.

Provides emergency financial and material support to families and individuals experiencing financial stress.

Assists people experiencing financial difficulty by providing information, advice and advocacy. Financial counsellors work with service users to identify opportunities to relieve financial stress and build financial capability.

Provides individuals affected by gambling-related harm and affected others with support to identify and address issues. Gambler’s Help includes counselling, financial counselling, community education and a venue support program.

Provides low-income families with support to establish long-term savings habits, build their financial skills, and support their children’s education through a matched savings program.

Support for children at the Geelong Magistrates Court whose mothers are seeking legal protection in relation to family violence. Support, child engagement, advocacy, risk assessment and information are provided.

A responsive and flexible centralised intake service for people accessing Bethany directly in person, by phone or through the website during working hours.

Bethany provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to local businesses. The confidential counselling service is available to any employee of a member organisation who needs support in or out of the workplace.

Offers families an independent and neutral venue where supervised contact visits for child/ren and young people of separated parents can occur in a safe, supportive and family friendly environment.

The development of a coordinated support model for justice involved people as they reintegrate into their local community.

The program supports a range of priority communities who are facing barriers to vaccination.