Dear colleagues and friends of CaraCare,

I am writing to let you know that the CaraCare board has made the difficult decision to close the agency. Since COVID, we have faced a number of organisational and funding difficulties that have thwarted our ability to continue to operate.

In ten years of operations, dedicated and skilled facilitators ran 62 groups for 350 children and young people; we facilitated ten special events, such as school holiday programs and a resilience program for 120 pupils at a local school. We saw 14 carers in co-run groups with children. Undeterred by COVID, we provided online groups and distributed 718 self-care kits to children and young people. None of this incredible work would have been possible without your support, and the fact that all those young survivors of violence, abuse, and neglect received a service is something to hold dear to your heart.

The more positive news is that the remaining funds will be transferred to a fabulous organization with whom I have had a close working relationship for many, many years, Rosie’s Place.

Amongst their therapeutic service delivery, they run creative groups with children and young people in the Mount Druitt/ Rooty Hill area. CaraCare and Rosie’s Place have a common vision in working with young survivors, so it was with ease that I nominated to transfer the funds to them, with which they can facilitate CaraCare-style groups for at least two years.

By way of saying goodbye to the incredible work of CaraCare, two staff members, Manny Kassiotis and Conor McVeigh, and I wrote a practice paper on the gardening program at CaraCare. The day before writing this goodbye letter, we discovered it was accepted and published in the national social work journal. A fitting testament to the high-quality work of CaraCare. For any of you interested in this article, the link is as follows:

https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2024.2416622

It only remains for me to say a final goodbye and deep gratitude for your support of CaraCare over the last ten years.

Warm regards,

Mary Jo Mc Veigh OAM
CEO CaraCare