Welcome to our website. We are very excited to be able to provide up-to-date information about Catholic education, events and resources for parents and schools in NSW and the ACT, and open up ways for families and schools to contact us.

Plenty of research exists to highlight the importance of the partnership between families and their school communities and the critical impact this has on student learning.

At CCSP we acknowledge parents as education partners; we value and promote the critical role that parents play in the education of their children because research has shown that students of all backgrounds achieve more if parents are involved in their child’s education. All families can support learning. 

I have always considered the partnership a little like ‘jumping into a canoe together’ with each of us paddling to reach our common destination – the same one we all share: best outcomes for our children. At times, parents and carers may find paddling difficult, but that’s ok; as a caring community, we have their back, offering compassionate and understanding support. At other times, teachers and schools may find the padding a bit challenging; that is when our families can do so much to help schools, build them up, affirm them and encourage them with their empathetic communication.

We are a collaborative and forward-thinking Council that is helping to shape an approach that is reflective of the needs of parents and carers across NSW and the ACT.

We hope you enjoy looking around our website, and that you find it useful, informative and interactive.

Cath Garrett-Jones
Executive Director

Who We Are

The Council comprises parents and carers from each of the 11 dioceses in NSW/ACT and congregational schools and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee, which provides a voice for First Nations peoples in our schools. Find out about our Council members here:

Meet the Council!

At the national level, CCSP is a member of Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA), the body established in 2013 to represent, advocate for, and lobby on behalf of, Catholic school parents and carers. CSPA frequently partners with the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) in matters of national significance, with CCSP having input through its membership on CSPA’s National Council.

From funding through to policy and curriculum development, the CCSP represents the interests of Catholic school parents across all areas of education that affect Catholic school families and children, at government level, industry level and in the media.

Please subscribe to receive our online newsletter Parent Talk and updates from our News Feed, and keep in touch with us by completing our parent/carer surveys and feedback form.

How We Lead

Maintain a profile as an effective influential Catholic parent body by media, governments and the Church and a strong and effective voice for parents with children in Catholic schools in NSW and ACT.

How We Advocate

Proactively represent the interests of Catholic school parents in NSW and ACT on issues that affect their children’s health, welfare and education.

How We Support

Provide the tools and resources that schools and families need to promote parent representation and parent engagement within their communities.

State Representation

At the state level, CCSP Councillors and staff represent the parent perspective in many forums and committees on parents’ behalf. We want to hear your thoughts on current topics and issues, so please make sure to contact us if you would like to put your views forward.

CCSP Councillors and staff also meet regularly with local politicians and consult with the state and national Ministers for Education to develop ongoing positive relationships.

We work closely with Catholic Schools NSW through our involvement in:

• Working parties
• Reference groups
• Ongoing consultation

We also:

• Promote family, school and community partnerships including offering an annual $5000 grant to schools
• Support teacher education by providing an annual ACU Scholarship for Teachers.
• Publish resources for diocesan and school parent groups, families and schools including our regular newsletter, Parent Talk
• Host events such as free online webinars for parents and carers on topics including wellbeing, cybersafety and curriculum.
• Advocate for families through membership of education boards and committees responsible for making decisions that affect Catholic school families
• Makes submissions to government and other bodies to advocate for Catholic school parents
• Support student wellbeing
• Lobby state and federal governments for school funding
• Provide input into curriculum development
• Influence state and federal policy formulation
• Promote and foster the facilitation of the links between family, school, Church and the community

Parents and carers play a critical role in the education of their children. Parents and carers know their children better than anyone – they can help the teacher to understand their children better, which can assist the teacher in enhancing their children’s learning outcomes.

As the state body for parents and carers of children in Catholic school, CCSP supports dioceses and schools to encourage family engagement.

Catholic Schools in NSW and the ACT work in partnership with parents and their school communities to promote a shared responsibility for the education of each child:

• Parents are recognised as the first educators when it comes to their child’s faith formation, learning and wellbeing
• In turn, parents contribute by valuing the Catholic identity and mission of schools
• Schools and parents partner to ensure that all students in our schools are supported in their social, spiritual and emotional development

The research is clear on the matter of parental involvement and parent engagement in education: there are profound and comprehensive benefits for students, families and schools when parents and communities become participants in their children’s education and lives.

Parent involvement encompasses the more common, day-to-day activities that parents do to support their child’s learning, while parent engagement involves a deeper and more collaborative partnership between parents and schools to shape the overall educational experience. Both are valuable and can complement each other to create a supportive and enriching environment for children.

Family-school partnerships are collaborative relationships and activities involving school staff, parents and other family members of students at that school. Effective partnerships are based on mutual trust and respect, and shared responsibility for the education of the children and young people at the school.

Governance

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT is the body officially recognised by the Bishops of New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory Dioceses in the Province of Sydney and Catholic Schools NSW to represent the interest of families of children in all NSW and ACT Catholic schools.

The Council of Catholic Schools Parents is incorporated under the Roman Catholic Church Communities’ Land Act 1942 No 23.

The CCSP is incorporated as a not-for-profit registered charity. It fulfils the criteria which includes: must be not-for-profit, have a charitable purpose and, be for the public benefit.

CCSP funds are provided from each diocese and Congregational schools paying a levy (reviewed annually) per student along with CSNSW support and government grants. The salary of the members of the Secretariat and the Executive Director are paid from these funds. The CCSP also receives funding from CSNSW and the NSW Government.

At its 17 May 2019 meeting, the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT passed the following by-law:

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Committee of the Council of Catholic School Parents is appointed as a Permanent Standing Committee of the Council of Catholic School Parents. The Chair of the ATSI Committee or a nominee of the ATSI Committee attends meetings of the Council with equal standing and right in the Council.