Catholic Outreach provides services to assist parishes set up and support Pastoral Care Programs which enable volunteers to provide practical emergency short term support for people in need in their local community. As such we work primarily with Co-Ordinators, Volunteers and Parish Priests.  

Parish Pastoral Care Programs offer practical support to anyone in need and include activities such as bereavement support, emergency meals, family support, gardening, handyman, home help, transport and visiting. The support is tailored to the needs of the community and the availability of volunteers. Where practical support cannot be provided we will endeavour to find a suitable referral.  

Pastoral Care Programs are managed on a day to day basis by Co-Ordinators (mainly volunteers) whose role is to take calls for assistance, discern what action to take, (sometimes by visiting or telephoning the person asking for help) organise a volunteer to do the task and assess whether any further help should be offered.  

Elements of a Parish Pastoral Care Program include  

- help available for anyone in need  

- management of day to day operations by Co-Ordinators  

- annual invitation to parishioners to volunteer for tasks that they choose and enjoy  

- working beside other organisations and ministries within the parish  

- building of relationships and the community  

Catholic Outreach offers support for Parish Pastoral Care Programs through the  

- provision of ongoing training and formation for Co-Ordinators including attendance at meetings, telephone support, newsletters, educational training days, conferences and retreats  

- facilitation of orientation briefings and training for Volunteers  

- maintenance of a comprehensive website which includes information available to the public as well as a secure area for Co-Ordinators to enable them to refer to policies and procedures, download templates and documents, email Co-Ordinators from other parishes and update their contact details  

- provision of a DVD to promote and explain the work of pastoral care programs and assist in the recruitment of Co-Ordinators and Volunteers