The remit of Catholic education systems and schools is being expanded incrementally as the challenges facing students, families and broader community become increasingly more complex and intertwined.
As a result, educational systems and schools as faith communities of connection and relationship are discerning their educational ministry more broadly beyond the school gate. Factors from outside the school environment are significantly affecting students’ aspirations and achievements, particularly in communities of significant social and economic disadvantage.
In 2022, Catholic Schools NSW embarked upon a bold initiative to respond to these challenges and the outcomes of the Australian Plenary Council which called on those responsible for Catholic education, including parents and parishes, to identify and respond to the diverse needs and distinct circumstances of Catholic schools in Australia today. This initiative is called Connected Catholic Communities.
The Extended Services School Project as a part of the CSNSW Connected Catholic Communities Strategy is supporting systems and schools to reach out to, and network with families, parish, community and support services to establish predictable integrated support systems that extend beyond the classroom. Dioceses are engaging with the project in different ways to best met the contextual needs of their school communities.
The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools (DLCS) has already embarked on this journey and their Family Connect in Schools service (FCiS) was developed at the request of Bishop Greg Homeming OCD.
The FCiS is an “extended services” school model that provides wraparound support for children, young people and their families through a strategic partnership with Social Futures, a regional community service provider to deliver an in-school service to help families build capability, resilience, and access to support beyond the school gate to positively influence the life trajectory for those students and their families.
Over the past five years, the DLCS has scaled the FCiS service across all schools in the Diocese. The service is grounded in the principle that improving the wellbeing and safety of children starts with strengthening families. By addressing out-of-school barriers, FCiS directly supports student learning, achievement, and mental health.
It also goes beyond the traditional remit of education and is central to the church’s educational mission to remove barriers and create opportunities for students to live lives filled with meaning, love, opportunity, and hope. This resonates with the Gospel message of John 10:10 that reminds us: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
CSNSW is inviting all those interested in creating flourishing communities, including those within education settings, parent bodies, parishes, Catholic social services, health providers and others to explore and advance these opportunities to build impactful and sustainable partnerships, both within and beyond the school gate.
Paul Milgate, who has been leading the FCiS service in Lismore will be keynote speaker at a Symposium in August. He will share his extensive experience in leading and developing a systemic approach to extended services operating in schools that delivers positive social impact and return on investment.
Paul will be joined by our international guest Anne Henderson (USA), who has been a passionate advocate for enriched relationships between families, schools, and communities, for over 40 years.
Limited places are still available for the Connected Catholic Communities Symposium at the Amora Hotel Jamison in Sydney 14 August, 9am-4pm. Interested participants can register here.
Marita Winters is the Deputy CEO of Catholic Schools NSW.