Our Work
Our education programs and services are designed to help children, young people, adults and communities understand and attend well to their grief following change and loss experiences.
What does MacKillop Seasons do?
A part of MacKillop Family Services, and formerly known as Good Grief, MacKillop Seasons’s education programs have supported more than 400,000 individuals in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales.
MacKillop Seasons programs strength the knowledge and capacity of professionals in schools and communities to support children, young people and adults. We train and support facilitators, known as 'Companions', who deliver our small-group education programs directly to children, young people and adults in their schools and communities.
MacKillop Seasons programs have been adapted to help children and young people following experiences of suicide, forced migration, home-based care, pandemics and natural disasters.
What are our education programs?
There are five core adaptations of the Seasons for Growth program:
- Seasons for Growth Children and Young People’s program builds knowledge and skills to strengthen the social and emotional wellbeing and resilience of children and young people following experiences of significant change and loss
- Stormbirds program supports children and young people to adapt to experiences of change and loss following natural disasters.
- Seasons for Growth Parent program provides parents and carers with an opportunity to better understand the experiences of death, separation and divorce from a child’s perspective.
- Seasons for Growth Adult program supports adults to understand and respond to significant change, loss and grief events in their lives.
- Seasons for Healing program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults with a culturally appropriate way to learn about the experience of change, loss and grief.
What are our services in schools and communities?
Our education programs are supported by initiatives and services we provide for schools and communities:
- Seasons for Life initiative, supports high school communities across Australia with evidence-based loss and grief education following suicide loss and other losses.
- Disaster Recovery support, led by Community Resilience Officers on the ground in disaster-affected communities.
- Wellbeing in Schools, where our evidence-based programs and services are recognised as on state education wellbeing panels.
What about our commitment to research and evaluation?
Our suite of Seasons for Growth programs have been evaluated by universities on numerous occasions since their inception in 1996. The Children and Young People’s program is recognised in evidence-based program directories with the Australian Government’s Australian Institute of Family Studies Communities for Children Facilitating Partners Evidence-based programme profiles and state education departments in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
In 2019, the program was recognised with a high impact rating in the in Australian Research Council’s Engagement and Impact Assessment 2018-19 National Report and in Impact NSW report by the NSW Education Department.