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!

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.

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) and Tuning Into Kids. View information about our October Tuning Into Kids day course here. View information about our October Tuning Into Kids evening course here.

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.

BOARD

The Board of the Child Abuse Prevention Service is committed to a long-term strategy of measurable success and excellence in the field of child abuse prevention.

Chair - Renee Carter

Renee Carter joined the Child Abuse Prevention Service Board in April 2009, and was appointed Chair in May 2009. Renee is also Executive Director – Business Development and co-owner of Designate Group, and has 6 years involvement with Australasian Reporting Awards (ARA), including 3 years as Coordinator of the Online Reporting Award. With a B Design (Visual Communications), she brings her knowledge of business management, strategic planning, communications, branding, business development and a commitment to best practice.

Vice Chair - Anna Brown

Date started with Board: July 200

Formal Training: Bachelor of Commerce and Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Management

Relevant Skill-set: Extensive senior management experience in the banking and airline industries, with particular expertise in strategic planning and change management. Experience in the Australian, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and US markets.

Secretary - Kate Boyle

Formal training: BA/LLB, Grad Dip Legal Practice, Grad Dip Applied Corporate Governance, Grad Cert Applied Finance and Investment, MBA (in progress)
Relevant Skill-set: Kate Boyle is an experienced corporate lawyer with particular skills in corporate governance, risk and compliance.  Her experience spans ten years across a range of public and private organisations including Macquarie Bank, Deloitte and NAB. Kate's volunteer experience includes experience in strategy development with not-for-profit entities, as well as providing mentoring and support to at-risk teenagers. 

 

Treasurer - Andrew Grech

Andrew Grech was appointed Treasurer in July 2010. He is a Chartered accountant and spent more than ten years in public accounting in Australia and the Czech Republic before joining a leading global Technology, Outsourcing and Consulting company in their Business Process Outsourcing (Shared Services) business. Over several years in BPO/Shared Services, most of which was in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Andrew held general management roles, with an emphasis on business start-up and people management. Andrew holds a Mater of Commerce degree and has completed additional studies in Corporate Governance. Having returned to Australia in 2009, he participates in a refugee mentoring program and is keen to support CAPS.

Board Member - Samantha Fawcett

Date Started with Board: July 2009
Formal Training: Bachelor Commerce/Asian Studies, Australian National University
Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
Samantha has five years experience working with the both the federal government and the private sector in the areas of federal policy evaluation and compliance, corporate accounting, business management and insolvency.
She has recently completed her Chartered Accountant studies and looks forward to implementing business management techniques gained from the qualification to CAPS.
Samantha is interested in ensuring that non-profits such as CAPS are run as efficiently and effectively as possible, so that all valuable resources can be directed to intended recipients.

Board Member - Dr Anne Adams

Date started with Board: October, 2006

Role within Board/position held: member, acting chair (March-May 2009)

Formal training: BA (Social Science), MA (Education), PhD (Child health and parenting), Grad Dip Counselling, Registered Nurse and Children's Nurse.

Relevant Skill-set: Experience in health as registered nurse, children's nurse and nurse educator over 13 years; academic (UTS) with teaching, course development and research in child and family health specialty for 16 years; supervisor, co-ordinator and counsellor in community services, 9 years and current. Volunteer with CAPS helpline since October 2005. Has an ongoing interest in child development, children's services and supportive programs.

Board Member - Helen McPaul

Date started with Board: November 2008
Role within Board / Position Held: Mentor to clinical staff and Volunteer liaison
Formal Training: Relational Counseling and Marriage Education
Helen currently works as a Pastoral Counselor within the Anglican church, she commenced with the CAPS Board in November 2008 having been the National Coordinator for 2 years of CAPS and prior to that the Senior Case Worker for 8 years.  Helen has trained as a relational counselor and marriage educator with Anglicare – Sydney.  Prior to her time with CAPS she worked as a Pastoral counselor with the Anglican church.  Helen has worked with the Spastic Society and the Autistic Society and has a passion for ensuring children have the opportunity to reach their potential.

Board Member - June Crowley

June Crowley is an experienced technology professional and general manager.  She has extensive experience in the public and private sectors both in UK and Australia. This included delivery a program of advisory services on using technology to manage sovereign debt in a number of commonwealth developing countries.   She has worked in the financial services sector for 15 years most recently as General Manager, Technology at MLC (part of the NAB group). June is currently Chief Information Officer for The Benevolent Society.  June has BSc in Environmental Science (Griffith University) and MSc in Economics (University of London).

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.

 

Download CAPS' 2008/2009 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. CAPS is currently based in Ashfield, Sydney.

Dorothy Ginn, AM, is 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 has 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.

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.