Metro Assist Commences Delivery of Reformed Families Together Program across Greater Sydney areas

1 July 2026

Metro Assist, a specialist service provider working with diverse communities for the last four decades, will commence delivery of the Families Together Program, funded by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), from 1 July 2026.

The Families Together Program forms part of the NSW Government’s reformed Family Preservation program aimed at improving long-term outcomes for children and families. The reformed program places a strong emphasis on keeping children safe at home, reducing entries into out-of-home care, and providing earlier, more targeted interventions. Central to this approach is a commitment to culturally safe and responsive delivery service, including dedicated support for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and Aboriginal families.

Metro Assist will deliver Families Together services across South West Sydney, including Bankstown, Liverpool, Fairfield, Campbelltown, the Macarthur region, and Wollondilly, as well as the regional area of Wingecarribee. Services will also extend across Inner West and Western Sydney, including Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland and Paramatta, as well as South Eastern Sydney, covering Bayside, Georges River, Sutherland, and Woollahra.

More than sixty per cent of families supported by Metro Assist are expected to be from CALD backgrounds, reflecting the organisation’s core expertise and longstanding engagement with diverse communities.

Nina Shahi, CEO of Metro Assist, said the program marks a significant step forward in strengthening culturally safe and responsive family preservation support within a child protection framework.

“The expanded service delivery builds on more than a decade of Metro Assist’s work alongside CALD communities in the family preservation space in South West Sydney,” Ms Shahi said.

“The reformed program acknowledges the unique barriers and vulnerabilities many CALD and non-CALD families face and has been designed and resourced to respond effectively to those needs. With our longstanding experience, we are proud to work with the DCJ and deliver targeted support that helps keep children safe and families strong.”

Michelle Lazaris, Head of Services, Family and Financial Inclusion Services at Metro Assist, said the program enhances the organisation’s capacity to provide meaningful family support.

“Families need support that is timely, culturally safe, and responsive to their unique circumstances while recognising and building on their strengths,” Ms Lazaris said.

“The redesigned Families Together program enables us to work more closely with families to deliver tailored, holistic support that meets the needs of both CALD and non-CALD communities across our service areas. By working alongside families and drawing on their existing strengths, we can support improved outcomes and help children remain safely connected to their families and communities wherever possible.”

This expanded delivery reinforces Metro Assist’s ongoing commitment to supporting children and families experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage. Metro Assist continues to play a leading role in strengthening families by delivering targeted, culturally safe and responsive support that helps children across Greater Sydney remain safe and connected to their families and communities.