Family Support
Stepwise Family Services supports children, young people and families. We work alongside families to strengthen relationships and build resilience, delivering support that is family centred, strengths based, and culturally responsive.
Stepwise Family Services provides Community and Family Support program and Families Togethers, which are both designed to meet families at different stages of need. Whether you're looking for early support to strengthen family relationships or intensive assistance to help keep children safely at home, we're here to help.
Every family experiences challenges at different times within their lives. Our experienced team works alongside parents, carers, children and young people to build on strengths, improve relationships and help families create lasting positive change.
If you need urgent help, this service is not a crisis line. For Emergencies Call 000
Mental Health Support
Lifeline 13 11 14
Mental Health Line 1800 011 511
Homelessness
Link2Home 1800 152 152
Family and Domestic Violence
1800RESPECT 1800 737 732
NSW DV Line 1800 65 64 63
Child Protection
Child Protection Helpline
132 111
What to expect
Which program is right for me?
If you're unsure which program best meets your family's needs, our team can help. Contact us and we'll discuss your situation and connect you with the most appropriate service.
Community & Family Support (CAFS)
Contact Us
You can contact us by phone, email or by submitting an enquiry form. Our team will discuss your family's needs, confirm your eligibility and explain how we can support you.
Initial Assessment
We'll take the time to understand your family's strengths, goals and the support you're looking for. We have bilingual workers available, so please let us know your preferred language when you contact us.
Ongoing Support
If eligible, we'll work alongside you to develop a support plan that may include individual casework, parenting support, group programs, community activities and referrals to other services.
Families Together
Referral
Families Together accepts referrals from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and other approved referral pathways.
Engagement and Assessment
Once a referral is received, a Families Together practitioner will contact your family to discuss the referral, complete an assessment and work with you to identify your family's strengths, needs and goals. Bilingual workers are available where required.
Intensive Family Support
Your practitioner will provide intensive, family-centred support tailored to your family's needs. This may include parenting support, practical assistance, child safety planning, home visits, advocacy and connecting you with other services to help keep children safely at home.
Who can access?
If any of these sound like you, we can help — get in touch.
Community & Family Support Program
- Families with children or young people up to 18 years of age
- Living or working in Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Inner West or Strathfield
- Culturally and linguistically diverse families with children up to 17 who need extra support to keep children safe at home
- Young person up to the age of 18 years
Families Together
Families Together is available to eligible families living in the following local government areas:
- Bayside
- Burwood
- Camden
- Campbelltown
- Canada Bay
- Canterbury-Bankstown
- Fairfield
- Georges River
- Inner West
- Liverpool
- North Sydney
- Strathfield
- Wingecarribee
- Wollondilly
- Have children or young people aged 0–17 years
- Young people aged 14–17 years who consent to participate in the program
- Have been identified as needing intensive support to help children remain safely at home.
- Are experiencing complex challenges that may impact a child's safety, wellbeing, or development
- Are willing to work collaboratively with a Families Together caseworker to achieve agreed goals
- Have been referred to the Families Together program through the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) or another approved referral pathway
Programs within Family Support
You choose what suits you — and how often. Many people use us as a backup for the days cooking is hard, not every day.
Community and Family Support (CAFS)
Families Together
Youth Programs
Youth programs are also available under Settlement Services. Young people connected to Settlement Services can access Youth programs through that pathway too. See Settlement Services →
UPCOMING FAMILY SUPPORT EVENTS
Combo Club runs monthly at our Strathfield office in partnership with Strathfield Council. No booking required, just drop in.
- Comvo Club, Strathfield – once a month on Thursdays
- Parenting workshop with a Speech Pathologist – September (details on request)
- Family Clinic, (drop in, no appointment needed)
- Cantonese Mental Health Group (details on request)
- Tuning in to Teens, weekly for 5 weeks in August – Lakemba
- Family Advocacy service – support navigating services and systems – Strathfield library (details on request)
- Women’s Health Month Community Event (details on request)
- Community workshops for Mongolian families (details on request)
ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS
Supporting families through every stage
Stepwise Family Services offers two programs designed to meet the unique needs of children, young people and families. Whether your family would benefit from early intervention support or more intensive assistance to strengthen safety and wellbeing, our experienced team will work alongside you to provide practical, personalised support.
Community and Family Support (CAFS)
Short term early intervention support for families with children and young people up to 18 years of age.
Support includes:
- Family support and casework, including home visits
- Counselling
- Parenting support
- Educational workshops and skill building programs
- Community events and social participation activities
- Information, advocacy and referrals
- Connections to local services
Eligibility for CAFS
Living or working in Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Inner West, or Strathfield
Make a referral
To make a referral, please contact us by phone or email.
Phone: 02 9789 3744
Email: familyservices@stepwise.org.au
Families Together
Families Together is a voluntary, family preservation program for culturally and linguistically diverse families with children and young people up to 17 years of age who need extra support to keep children safe at home.
Our team works alongside families to:
- Strengthen parenting capacity and family functioning
- Improve child safety, wellbeing and development
- Build practical parenting and life skills
- Provide therapeutic and family focused support
- Connect families with community services and supports
Support is tailored to each family’s strengths, needs and goals, and is delivered primarily through home visits for up to 12 months.
Contact us
Phone: 02 9789 3744
Language assistance available
Community & Family Support Program (CAFS)
Purpose: Early intervention
Length: Short-term
Referral: Self, community, schools, agencies
Age: 0–18 years
Support:
Parenting, casework, groups, education skills workshop Advocacy support
Families Together
Purpose: Family preservation
Length: Up to 12 months
Referral: DCJ referral and community referral pathways
Age: 0–17 years (young people 14–17 may participate)
Support:
Intensive home-based support including advocacy support, 1:1 parenting program, working with the whole family
Why families choose Stepwise
- Qualified and Experienced family practitioners
- Registered psychologists and counsellors
- Trauma-informed practice
- Culturally responsive support
- Bilingual staff
- Evidence-informed programs
CLIENT STORY
""
— Place Holder
Get in touch - Family Support
By sending this, you agree we can contact you about your enquiry. We’ll never share your details without your consent.
Prefer to talk it through? Many of our clients find a phone call easier — call (02) 9789 3744 and we can explain the My Aged Care step and answer any questions.
Prefer to talk? Call (02) 9789 3744, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm. Financial issues can carry stigma — a phone call is often an easier first step, and everything you tell us stays confidential.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. All Family Support services are free.
Yes. We have bilingual staff and can arrange language assistance for both Community & Family Support (CAFS) and Families Together.
Our team can help determine the most appropriate support based on your family’s needs.
- Community & Family Support (CAFS) provides short-term early intervention support for families with children and young people aged 0–18 years.
- Families Together is a voluntary Family Preservation program providing longer-term, intensive support for culturally and linguistically diverse families with children and young people aged 0–17 years, including young people aged 14–17 years who choose to participate. Families Together accepts referrals through the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and other approved referral pathways.
No. We do not provide emergency financial assistance, vouchers or emergency relief. If needed, we can connect you with services that provide this support.
If one of our programs isn’t the right fit for your family, we’ll do our best to connect you with another service that can provide the support you need.
