Our Communities

From the days of working from the homes of volunteers, the Society has a strong history of social investment within the communities from which the work, effort and drive hundreds of members contributed to over the past 50 years in bringing to fruition the Society’s vision for place based services and programs.

Our strategy today, fortified in this rich heritage, is to grow into three sustainable locally embedded sites in Moonee Valley, Caroline Springs and Goulburn Valley communities from which the Society’s work was founded.

Caroline Chisholm Society works on the lands of the Wurundjeri, Bunurong and Yorta Yorta People.

Moonee Valley

Opening in 2017, our Essendon office provides a professional space including purpose built and designed work areas for our practitioners, students and other professional services. Our design also includes a purpose built set up for training and development, the sorting and processing of the Society’s renowned material aid program as well as improved health and safety space for receiving donations.

Moonee Valley has also become a hub for our famous knitters group as well as being a location for volunteers and members to meet for workshops and planning sessions in the delivery of outreach supports.

Caroline Springs

Having serviced the communities of Bacchus Marsh, Laverton, Caroline Springs and Sunbury since the 1980s, the Caroline Springs centre was opened in 2010, providing much needed space for the delivery of programs and outreach services beyond in the inner western suburbs of Melbourne, expanding into the growing communities of Melton and Brimbank.

In 2015, With the support of the City of Melton, the Society opened the former Wirrigirri Preschool as a centre for early parenting and childhood programs.

Goulburn Valley

In 1974 the Goulburn Valley Pregnancy and Family Support, founded by Mrs Pat Coffey (OAM), joined forces with Dr Philomene Joshua and the volunteers from Melbourne and the city of Greater Shepparton to form what was to become the Caroline Chisholm Society.

Based in the Greater City of Shepparton, the Society’s work continues in the tradition of providing much needed outreach supports and material aid to agencies, social workers and mothers with complex needs seeking assistance to mothers with outreach across the Goulburn Valley including the communities of Numurkah, Nathalia, Kyabram, Tatura, Kialla, Echuca, Seymour, Euroa and Murchison.