"We're passionate about building strong partnerships that enable government, community, educational and corporate organisations to support the needs of their community."
Anne Henderson, Director, The MacKillop Institute
The MacKillop Institute is a part of MacKillop Family Services, and was established to share the experience, expertise, and evidence-based programs of MacKillop Family Services with the wider community. The MacKillop Institute draws on a wealth of experience from MacKillop Family Services’ work across Australia and the commitment of our CEO, Dr Robyn Miller, to identify, promote, and independently evaluate good practice.
The MacKillop Institute delivers upon the MacKillop Family Services strategic goal to be innovative and responsive, develop best practices and advocate for social justice. We do this by building long-term partnerships that create positive and sustainable change.
The Institute empowers other organisations with evidence-informed programs and services that promote wellbeing, resilience, and learning, based on our deep understanding of the impacts of adversity, change, loss, grief, and trauma. We work with you to share our collective knowledge so, together, we can create practical solutions tailored to your culture, your needs, and the needs of your community.
While the Institute is just getting started, our programs have been around for decades and we draw on over 100 years of experience dating back to the three founders of what became MacKillop Family Services, who were driven by a commitment to education and to social justice. We see the need, and help co-design solutions. By sharing our expertise and growing our resources, we can achieve a greater impact and enhanced wellbeing for families, children, and communities.
Since formation in 1997, MacKillop Family Services (MacKillop) has grown to be a leading provider of specialist services for vulnerable children, young people, and families. MacKillop promotes the rights of all children to be free to enjoy their childhood in safety, to be nurtured and to have a sense of belonging and cultural identity.
MacKillop's work is underpinned by strong governance and a deep commitment to social justice; to child focused, family centered, strength-based practice; to the prevention of harm; and to practice based on research evidence.
MacKillop works across the ACT, the NT, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia delivering therapeutic services including:
Our team
Our leadership team is driven by an unwavering passion to empower partners for greater impact.
Meet our teamAt The MacKillop Institute, we believe in people. Every member of our team brings a wealth of energy and experience. The Institute is led by Director Anne Henderson, our National Program Development & Implementation Leads and our Advisory Board.
MacKillop Family Services acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Elders in each of the communities where we work.