CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION SERVICE
National Telephone Support Line – 1800 688 009
Our friendly telephone support workers offer information, referral and ongoing support to those affected by child abuse, concerned about the welfare of a child, or needing family or parenting support. Free-call 1800 688 009 from anywhere in Australia. The telephone service operates from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and is closed on public holidays.
Community Education
Visit our Resources section to download and print: posters, fact sheets, brochures, carry cards, and other useful materials. These free, high-quality resources have been developed to help children, their parents, their schools and entire communities to tackle child abuse and keep kids safe!! Selected resources are also available in: Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, Italian and Greek.
Breakfast Club
CAPS currently runs a breakfast club at Homebush West Public School in Sydney - giving students a healthy start to the day and a great social experience! If you are interested in starting a breakfast club program at your school, please contact
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Community Development
CAPS delivers a broad range of community development activities that strengthen and support children and young people, families and entire communities. Some of our current or recent community develop initiatives include; the Festival of Families held annually in Burwood (Sydney), targeted community legal and child protection workshops for culturally and linguistically diverse families, the inner-west Schools Expo, preschool and primary school prevention programs, and the development of a YouTube channel with local youth.
CARER AND PARENT SUPPORT
Support Groups
CAPS runs a range of free groups (such as Keeping Children Safe and Wrapped in Angels) that help families and children get the ongoing support they need. Details of support group sessions can be obtained by emailing
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Family Support
CAPS family support program provides each family with a package of support services, tailored to their specific strengths and needs. Families have access to one-time or ongoing, client focussed case management, support and referrals. To make an appointment with one of our our case workers please contact 02 9716 7032.
Free Parent and Carer Education Sessions
Meet local parents, learn new ways to handle common parenting issues and have your most challenging parenting questions answered by experts! Our free parent education sessions cover a wide variety of topics and are open to all parents and carers. Sessions are held at 21 Holden Street Ashfield (Sydney) on the second Wednesday evening of the month. All sessions begin at 7pm and refreshments are provided. Please call 02 9716 8000 to confirm your attendance as bookings are essential. Please note that child care is not available on the premises.
Inner West Parent Library and Resource Centre
Browse or borrow a wide range of high-quality parenting books, DVD’s, brochures, and materials. Our Parent Library and Resource Centre is located at 21 Holden Street Ashfield (Sydney) and is open to the public from 10am – 5pm Weekdays (closed on Public Holidays). Please note that child care is not available on the premises.
Supported Playgroup
The CAPS @ Campsie supported playgroup is a free, weekly activity for parents and their children (aged 0 -5 years old). The playgroup combines traditional play, music and signing, crafts, and dancing, with parent education sessions. Run during school tern term time only this playgroup is held on Tuesdays from 10.30am - 12.30pm at Rotary Community Centre, 34 North Parade Campsie.
Evidence-based Parent Training
CAPS delivers a suite of parent training programs that have been independently evaluated and are demonstrated to produce real and measurable positive outcomes for families, including the highly acclaimed Positive Parenting Program (Triple P, Triple P Teen and Triple P Pathways), Tuning Into Kids, Tuning In To Teens, 123 Magic, and 7 Steps to Safety.
BOARD
The Board of the CAPS is committed to a long-term strategy of measurable success and excellence in the fields of child abuse prevention and family support.
Chair - Andrew Grech
Andrew Grech was elected Chair in May 2012 having originally joined the Board as Treasurer in July 2010. Andrew holds Master of Commerce and Bachelor of Economics degrees as well as a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance. He is a Chartered Accountant and spent more than ten years in public accounting in Australia and the Czech Republic before joining and international consulting company in their Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) business. Over several years in BPO, Andrew held general management roles with an emphasis on business start-up and people management. He is also involved in mentoring programs involving high school students.
Board Member - Rosemary Allsopp
Rosemary joined the CAPS board in July of 2010. Rosemary has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), a Masters of Education, and is currently completing a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance. Rosemary has extensive professional experience in non-profit sector membership based organisations, as an executive officer. Rosemary's volunteer experience has included representing the community on a professional conduct committee, as well as providing strategic support and fundraising in the disability sector.
Vice Chair - Anthony Blyth
Anthony joined the CAPS board in 2012. Anthony has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investments. Anthony has extensive experience as a management and technology consultant within the Energy, Government and Banking sectors. Previous companies he has managed major projects for include NSW RTA, ANZ, ING, BNP Paribas, Coles Myer, Energy Australia, Origin Energy, Powercor Australia and Integral Energy.
Treasurer - Alison Crealy
Alison joined the Board as Treasurer in June 2012. She is a Chartered Accountant with significant experience in financial analysis and management in Australia and Europe. As well as her work in public accounting and more recently as the financial leader for Owens Corning in Belgium, she has participated in numerous community projects. The latest of such projects was an after school homework school in central Brussels for disadvantaged children.
Board Secretary – Indradeep Mazumdar
Indradeep has extensive consulting experience in a number of Multi-National Corp’s across Asia, the Silicon Valley in the US and Australia. He has worked on numerous technology, marketing, product and corporate strategy consulting assignments and is developing market data analytics and customer segmentation scenarios. He is currently working with a Board advisory consultancy focusing on the areas of corporate governance, work value, labor productivity and executive remuneration. Indradeep has an MBA from Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW and a Masters of Engineering from the University of Queensland.
Board Member - Haleh Abedy
Haleh joined the board in February 2013. She has a Bsc and Msc in Clinical Psychology, a Bll in Law and is presently completing a Juris Doctor (Law) at the University of New South Wales. Haleh has 15 years of research and policy experience in the welfare sector. She has been active in the areas of mental health advocacy and child rights, recently working on a project for UNICEF in Iran.
Board Member - Ellen Stuebe
Ellen is a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor, trained in a complex dynamic systems approach that draws on cutting edge neurobiology and the latest developments in human development, trauma and relationship theories.
Ellen specialises in working with adults who have experienced various forms of childhood trauma - including abuse and neglect. She also has a special interest in the parent-child relationship and in working with parents of young children, including new and expectant parents.
She is a Clinical member of the Australian Somatic Psycotherapy Association (ASPA), a Provisional member of PACFA and is listed on the government regulated ARCAP register.
HONORARY ADVISORS
Honorary Corporate Advisor - Stephen Cartwright
Stephen Cartwright is currently Chief Executive Officer of NSW Business Chamber. Stephen was formerly the Managing Director of Chandler Macleod Group Ltd (a company which he founded) and prior to that was a founding partner of specialist law firm Fisher Cartwright Berriman. Stephen is a proven business builder, and is a dynamic and visionary leader with exceptional people skills.
View CAPS' 2012 Annual Report
If you don't have Adobe Acrobat (or the reader), a FREE reader is available from Adobe.
The Child Abuse Prevention Service (CAPS) was founded in Sydney in 1973 to respond to the needs of "runaways" and others seeking help from the Wayside Chapel, Kings Cross. Originally known as 'Prevention', the service developed unique, simple and effective methods of helping stressed families care for their children.
CAPS registered as a charity in 1978 and became incorporated in 1989. Over the years CAPS has had many abodes, including the Director's home, a hit on easy street in the POW Hospital, and the Randwick Community Centre.
In 2010 CAPS developed its Carer and Parent Support (CAPS) branch under which operates its general parent education, groups, and family support work. CAPS is currently based in Ashfield, Sydney.
Dorothy Ginn AM (1922 - 2011) was a foundation member of the World Health Organisation for the Defence of Children and also the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Dorothy accepted government invitations from New Zealand (1978) Zambia (1978) and Canada (1985) to advise/consult in the setting up of child abuse and neglect legislation and child abuse prevention training programs. She toured New Zealand as a guest of the Mental Health Foundation in 1978, after which C.A.P.S. New Zealand was formed.
Prior to the establishment of its own service, Dorothy assisted the NSW Department of Youth and Community services in this area. She also cooperated with relevant agencies in Queensland and Western Australia.
In 1984 Dorothy received the Sir Lorimer Dods Award for "Excellence of work measured by state, national and international standards on behalf of children" and in 1987 was made a Member of the Order of Australia.
Dorothy retired in 2003 after a career spanning 30 years and the CAPS family was greatly saddened by Dorothy's passing in 2011.
You can read the first 2 chapters of Dorothy's book The Fence on the Cliff here. For copies of the book please contact 02 9716 8000.
