Who we are

Centacare Catholic Community Services delivers programs across a range of community and social service sectors, including mental health and wellbeing, domestic and family violence, homelessness, family and relationship support, NDIS services, carer support, and children’s services.

We strive to support people in the community who have been marginalised and who are experiencing hardships and challenges in their lives.

Since 1942, we have worked to empower people to participate in community and reach their full potential.

Today, this commitment underpins the 63 community services we deliver from 36 sites in metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia.

Led by Executive Director Leanne Haddad, Centacare is the welfare arm of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide and operates within a strong ethical framework informed by the values and principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

We respond with skill, compassion and tenacity to each of the more than 20,000 South Australians we support annually.

At Centacare, we believe for justice to be upheld, we must become compassionate voices in action for all.

Centacare Catholic Community Services and ACCESS Programs operate under ABN 21 578 907 988, but are incorporated under the Catholic Church Endowment Society through ABN 29 608 297 012.

Our Mission

We will provide relevant, authentic and effective services that will enhance the quality of life of our clients and will enable them to participate fully in the community.

Our Vision

We envision a community where people can experience the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Our work is informed by the values embedded in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching:

Dignity of the Human Person

All human persons are made in the image and likeness of God and the dignity of a person does not change because of any challenging circumstances they may be experiencing.

Community and the Common Good

The human person, being both sacred and social, lives within a community that is relational. Participating in the development of a just and safe society is both a right and an obligation.

Rights and Responsibilities

Every person has a right to the means which are necessary and suitable for the proper development of life. The denial of human rights harms persons and wounds communities.

Dignity of Work and Participation

We believe a person has a right to productive work, a just wage and to participate in the economic, democratic, and cultural life of society. Exclusion diminishes a person’s skills, their potential and sense of purpose in life.

Preferential Option for the Socially Disadvantaged and Vulnerable

We believe, for justice to be upheld, we must be a compassionate voice and act for all. In striving for this we must first consider how the lives of the most vulnerable people are impacted by our decisions.

Solidarity

We believe all humankind is interdependent, that we need one another and that we are called to stand with marginalised community members and strive for equity in our society.

Subsidiarity

We believe that decision-making should be made at the local level wherever possible. Individuals and communities should have an opportunity to contribute to the decisions that affect them.

Care of the Earth

We believe the earth is a gift, and as stewards and trustees, we have a responsibility to care for our common home, respect that gift and strive for sustainable living.

To uphold these principles as an organisation we strive to develop a culture that:

operates within a strong ethical framework informed by Catholic Social Teaching,
respects the uniqueness of individuals,
ensures we provide quality services through professional and committed staff,
focuses our service delivery to meet the needs of the vulnerable and marginalised,
works positively with governments, agencies, individuals and communities,
expects integrity in all that we do.

Centacare is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for children and vulnerable adults.

We uphold stringent screening processes when recruiting skilled and dedicated staff and volunteers. It is paramount that staff are alert to the absolute need for children to be safe within Centacare.

As an agency, we have always worked to provide appropriate and relevant training to allow staff to carry out their work effectively. This is critical in the area in child protection.

We continue to work hard to ensure our practices and processes are well ahead of community expectations.

This is part of our preventative approach towards the care and protection of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Centacare Catholic Community Services is a Quality Accredited Organisation, and we are committed to the best-practice model of operation.

Since 2004, we have maintained national accreditation against the Quality Improvement Council (QIC) Health and Community Services Standards.

Additionally, we retain accreditation against the National Disability Insurance Scheme Standards for registered providers and National Standards for Mental Health Services (NSMHS). The NSMHS were recently replaced by the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (CMO). In 2024 Centacare will be assessed under the new CMO standards for the first time.

Centacare carries out its accreditation reviews with Quality Innovation Performance (QIP), which is a respected provider of accreditation services across a wide range of quality frameworks, operating across Australia and New Zealand, with over 20 years of experience in third-party verification across health and community organisations.