Mercy Family Services provides a range of services for children, young people and families.

Out of Home Care

We care for children who are unable to stay at home because of their protective needs. 'Out of Home Care' includes Foster and Kinship care, Residential Care and Specialist Foster Care.

Foster & kinship carers provide safe and caring homes for children for short or long periods of time. Foster carers are people living in the community who have the capacity to care for other children and who, after a period of training and assessment, have been approved as suitable carers. Kinship carers are people from within the child's own family or community who assume the responsibility of caring for children.

Specialist foster care provides additional resources to certain foster carers who are looking after children with particularly challenging behaviours. These additional resources may include supplementary payments, respite care and extra services to assist the child.

Not all children are able to live within a family environment and Residential Care provides an alternative. Young people live in houses in the community with a team of youth support workers, one of whom is always there. Within this safe and supportive environment young people are encouraged to form positive relationships, develop their potential and gradually prepare for independence.

In all 'out of home' care programs, we strive to respond to the needs of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander children, their families and communities. In Toowoomba, an Indigenous Placement Unit works in partnership with the local indigenous community.

Our Foster Care Programs are based at Goodna, Logan, Zillmere, Toowoomba and Woolloongabba and our Residential Care Programs are based at Goodna, Logan, Zillmere and Woolloongabba.

Our Other Programs

Our Counselling & Reunification Program in Toowoomba is closely linked to foster care. A multi-disciplinary team of social workers, psychologists and family support workers provides assessments, therapeutic intervention and support for children in foster care placements or in the process of family re-unification.

Our Men and Family Relationships Program based in Goodna engages with men and families of all backgrounds and provides counselling, relationships education and skills training groups.

A Sexual Abuse Counselling Program has counsellors located in Goodna and Toowoomba for children and young people referred by the Department of Child Safety from within the Department's Ipswich and Western Zones.

New Families at Zillmere supports young women who are pregnant or parenting a baby in circumstances that would, without participation in the program, result in their baby being assessed as being at risk or serious harm.

Supported Independent Living Programs in North Brisbane and Toowoomba provide opportunities for young people who have been in 'out of home' care to make the transition to independent living.

The Unaccompanied Humanitarian Refugee Minors Program at Woolloongabba and Toowoomba has responsibility for young people with refugee backgrounds under the age of 18 years who arrive in Australia without parental support. Many arrive with family members while others are admitted on Temporary Protection Visas. The young people live with their proposer or nominated carer. All referrals to this program are received through the Department of Child Safety, following notification of arrival from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.

Working On at Zillmere is delivered in partnership with Brisbane City Council and aims to assist young people aged 15-29 years, in recovery from substance abuse to acquire work skills and obtain meaningful long-term employment.

St Vincent's Home Former Residents are supported by a social worker in accessing personal information, by providing counselling and support about their time at St Vincent's Home and coordinating reunions at Nudgee.

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