CASS

CASS – Chinese Australian Services Society
華人服務社
44-50 Sixth Avenue, Campsie, NSW 2194, Australia
61-2-9789 4587
cass.org.au/

Chinese Australian Services Society Ltd (CASS) was established in 1981 and is a registered charity in Australia. CASS provides a comprehensive range of community services and activities in a wide geographical area in New South Wales. It serves Chinese, Koreans, Indonesians, Vietnamese and other people in the general community as well. More than 2,000 families access its services and activities weekly.

Key services and activities of CASS:

1. Residential Aged Care – a 63-bed Residential Aged Care Facility is being built and will commence service in January 2015 for elderly migrants from East Asian countries.
2. Home Ageing and Disability Services provide home care and respite services for Chinese and Korean seniors, disability services for people with intellectual disability.
3. Vocational and Training Services provide family day care employment service and organise adult English classes, first aid certificate course in Chinese, and trainings for those unemployed with limited English to enable them to seek employment.
4. Settlement Services assist newly arrived Chinese-speaking migrants with settlement concerns through face-to-face contacts and referral services as well as organising information sessions and expos for them. In partnership with Australian Taxation Office, Tax Consultation and Tax Help services are also provided for eligible clients.
5. Family & Children’s Services operate 3 child care centres as well as providing quality and professional child care services in the homes of registered Chinese-speaking educators in different suburbs.
6. Volunteering Services – CASS relies heavily on volunteers to assist in the delivery of its services, thus, ongoing volunteer recruitment and training are conducted. CASS also facilitates Chinese-speaking volunteers to participate in the volunteering services of mainstream community organisations. At the moment, CASS receives government funding to run Connect Call Service and Community Visitors Scheme to connect with the Chinese seniors by trained volunteers to enhance the quality of life of the seniors.
7. Chinese Schools, Academy of Arts and cultural classes and groups such as Tai Chi, dancing and lion dance classes.
8. Regular activities and social gatherings for the Chinese, Koreans and Indonesians including social dancing, summer camps and excursion.
9. Apart from providing services, CASS actively advocates and lobbies for the minority groups of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to safeguard and gain their rights. In particular, CASS assists in enhancing the community building capacity of the Chinese community and encouraging their participation in community affairs.