Family Centred Sanctuary began operation in August 2019, founded by Geraint and Sandra Roberts.

Family Centred Sanctuary is a loving and compassionate family business to accommodate your loved ones in a family home. We are also an alternative to placing young NDIS participants in unsuitable care such as aged care, short-term hospital stays, or other accommodation where these young people feel vulnerable and disengaged. 

We understand the needs of young people with mental disabilities and trauma.

Our son has intelligence disability and autism, and in 2017 we faced a decision: how do we care for our teenage son with our limited time and resources? Do we place him in respite care? What can be done?

A New Solution: a Model Home

Despite our searching, we could never find a suitable place. With Sandra being a social worker and intervention practitioner, she used her skills and knowledge to create a place to attend to his needs. Through research and effort, we both established a new model home; one that cares for people with mental illness, trauma, and other disabilities. 

We formulated a model based on several guiding principles (learn more.) We wanted a home that functioned like a loving and compassionate family home, supported by mentors and therapists to inspire our son and others like him to take control of their lives and make a real change. 

Building a Sanctuary

This home was and is a safe space for all participants; vital to their wellbeing as many come from traumatic exposure to violence and abuse in their lives.

The Family Centred Sanctuary is a new way forward in housing people like our son to ensure they gain the right support while maintaining their independence. This means empowering participants to structure their own day, their own activities, education, or work. Participants aren’t put on strict roles when it comes to chores; they’re encouraged to participate in family life as their efforts enrich the whole.

An Involved Family

We regularly invite our daughters to the sanctuary to interact with other participants; this is a true family experience which can drastically change the outlook for teenagers and young adults that have been neglected or pushed around by the system without any real improvement in their wellbeing.

A Genuine Community

Family Centred Sanctuary is not a traditional business; we haven’t created the Sanctuary to become rich and famous. We’re more focused on creating community - a legacy that speaks to parents and carers that our model works and can help people with mental illness not only survive but thrive.

We’re proud of the community we’ve established at Family Centred Sanctuary and are thankful for the ongoing support from our stakeholders.