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Providing safe, therapeutic out-of-home care for young people

About our residential care

When staying at home is no longer safe, our residential care services offer more than just a place to stay. It provides a nurturing, therapeutic environment where young people are supported to thrive. 

Our trauma-informed approach ensures every young person feels safe, respected, and supported. We work closely with families, communities, and key stakeholders to deliver care that reflects each young person’s identity, strengths, and goals.

With a focus on long-term outcomes, we offer holistic support including pathways to family reunification, education re-engagement, employment readiness, and life skills development, with the goal of empowering young people to build confident, healthy futures.

Supporting young people in remote and rural communities

In addition to our main service locations, we deliver high-quality care to rural and Indigenous communities through an innovative model that includes FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) with teams made up of experienced workers who have deep cultural understanding and strong relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This ensures access to quality and culturally safe support even in hard-to-reach places so that no young person is left behind

How we support young people

Our therapeutic residential care model is grounded in trauma-informed, strengths-based, and culturally responsive practice. We focus on:

  • Safety and stability: providing 24/7 residential homes where young people are cared for and are supported on how to best move forward with their lives.
  • Case coordination: We provide tailored case coordination to ensure each young person’s needs are met through a holistic, wraparound approach.
  • Life skills development: supporting young people to build essential everyday skills for independence, confidence, and positive decision-making. Our team also offers behavioural support strategies that are trauma-informed and focused on building emotional regulation, resilience, and wellbeing.
  • Education and employment pathways: connecting young people with pathways to education, training, or work to build stability and open doors to future opportunities.
  • Family, community and cultural connection: we are committed facilitating safe reconnection with family, community and cultural networks. We bring particular expertise in providing culturally responsive care to Māori, Pasifika, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander young people, ensuring that culture is not an add-on, but a foundation of how we care.
  • Collaborative care: working with a multidisciplinary team including community partners, family networks, Child Safety, health and disability providers and education services to support holistic outcomes for young people.
  • Transition to independent living: mentoring young people as they move into adulthood and independent living, building practical skills, emotional readiness, and confidence. From managing daily life to accessing housing and making decisions, we ensure they are equipped to succeed.

Eligibility and location

Residential care services are available to young people aged 12 – 17 who are referred to MANAWISE Care through the Department of Child Safety in Queensland. Upon receiving a referral, our team works collaboratively with key stakeholders involved in the young person’s care to develop a tailored plan that reflects their strengths, needs, and support requirements.

We currently operate residential care homes in:

  • Cairns
  • Mackay
  • Brisbane
  • Logan
  • Ipswich
  • Gold Coast
  • Moreton Bay

Our difference

At MANAWISE Care, we don’t just deliver services, we walk alongside individuals and communities to create lasting change. We believe in innovative solutions to complex problems. That’s why we blend contemporary best practice with deep cultural wisdom, ensuring our services are inclusive, empowering, and designed to create long-term impact.

We are committed to child safety and quality

We are deeply committed to child safety and service excellence. Our expert team continuously reviews and strengthens our approach, ensuring we listen and respond to the needs of the young people and families who use our service. We uphold rigorous quality standards and comply with regulatory requirements, including those set by the Department of Child Safety and PeakCare Queensland.

From our community

Thank you for helping our family come back together again. You supported us in every step, it means so much.

Young person reunited with their family

CONNECT WITH US

Contact us to learn more about MANAWISE Care and how we can support you or your loved ones with safe, quality care.