$1.75 million to help Toowoomba’s culturally diverse dads build safer families
MEDIA RELEASE
October 2026
Fathers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Toowoomba and surrounding regions who have used, or are at risk of using, violence will have access to specialist, culturally safe support through a new five-year program led by the Domestic Violence Action Centre (DVAC), backed by $1.75 million from the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF).
‘Strong Fathers, Strong Babas’ will be delivered by DVAC in partnership with the Immigrant Women’s Support Service (IWSS). It is one of 14 programs funded through PRF’s $24.5 million Dads on Track National Grant Round, and one of four in the round working specifically with CALD communities.
The flexible, six-month program combines group work based on the evidence-based Caring Dads program with individual case management. It will work with up to 40 fathers a year, or 200 over the life of the grant, while providing safety support and psycho-social education for the affected women and children.
DVAC CEO Amie Carrington said fatherhood is a powerful turning point for men. “When a man becomes a dad or starts to see the impact his behaviour is having on his children, there’s a real window for change,” she said. “Strong Fathers, Strong Babas is about meeting dads in that window with support that holds them to account, while keeping the safety of women and children at the centre of everything we do.”
The program will establish a community advisory group and use community co-design, information workshops and multilingual supports to make sure it reflects the families it serves. “Baba means ‘dad’ in many of the languages spoken across our region, and the program name reflects our commitment to building this program with – not just for – our CALD communities” Ms Carrington said.
From November 2026, IWSS will co-locate a specialist practitioner with DVAC’s Toowoomba team. The two organisations have worked together for more than a decade supporting CALD families affected by domestic, family and sexual violence.
IWSS CEO Mitra Khakbaz said the partnership brings cultural knowledge and specialist family violence practice together in one place. “Families who’ve migrated to or sought safety in Australia often carry the weight of displacement, conflict and settlement stress, and those pressures can show up at home,” she said. “Understanding that context is essential to engaging fathers, but it never excuses violence. Bringing that understanding into the room, alongside DVAC’s expertise, gives families a better chance of real and lasting change.”
“We often hear from women that they want their children to have a safe, loving relationship with their ‘baba’. This program works towards that, without ever compromising their safety.” PRF Head of Families Jackie Ruddock said: “These grants emerged from listening to our partners in the sector and reflect PRF’s commitment to addressing complex, under-resourced parts of the family violence response system.”
The program includes ongoing evaluation and learning, contributing to a growing evidence base on what works to keep families safe when fathers have used violence.