About us
Our story
CADA works from a feminist framework. We understand domestic and family violence (DFV) is a social issue. We work with a gender view focussed on the power and control dynamics in relationships. We believe in the equality of all people regardless of gender, race, ability, class or sexuality. We understand the importance of change on a systemic level as well as an individual level.
Our work is grounded in women’s experiences. Although anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, the gendered nature of domestic violence means the vast majority of survivors are women.
We support all people experiencing domestic and family violence regardless of gender or sexuality.
We aim to empower our clients and minimise power differences between our staff and our clients.
We are client focused and client driven. We encourage a high degree of participation and collaboration with our clients. We acknowledge our clients’ rights to make their own decisions and their expertise in their own lives.
Our leaders
CEO
Holly Brennan OAM
Holly Brennan has worked in women’s health, prevention of violence against women and children, sexual and reproductive health, child protection, sexuality and respectful relationships education and health promotion for over 25 years.
CADA BOARD
President
Tony Latter
Tony Latter serves as a Councillor for the City of Moreton Bay, bringing a strong commitment to collaboration, governance, and strategic leadership across various boards. As the founder of Red Ride – Ride Against Domestic Violence, Tony is dedicated to driving positive change in his community. He is the Vice Chair of the Local Disaster Management Group, as well as the Moreton Disaster Recovery Group, and Chair of the Communities Portfolio for Moreton Bay, roles that reflect his passion for effective leadership and delivering meaningful initiatives that benefit the region. In 2024, Tony was awarded the ‘Alison Woolla Memorial Award,’ which recognises local leadership in the fight against domestic and family violence in Queensland.
Vice President
Kylee Isidro
Director Governance
Kylee Isidro is a Somerset Regional Councillor, first elected in 2020 before being re-elected in 2024. A former council employee, she has a wealth of local government customer service experience backed by a Diploma in Local Government Administration.
Prior to her local government career, Kylee worked in the pharmaceutical and IT industries.
As a mum, a regional advocate and a community leader with a diverse career across different industries, Kylee brings a comprehensive perspective to her role.
Treasurer
Matthew Trivett
Matthew has been involved in the finance industry for over 25 years, in Australia and abroad. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Practising Accountant and worked in several industries. He has a strong background in risk, compliance and governance and believes that good finance provides a strong platform for any organisation to achieve its goals.
Secretary
Natalie McDonald
Natalie is lawyer operating her own firm with experience in family law, children’s court, domestic and family violence, wills and estates, property and commercial law.
Natalie also has a nursing qualification, has run multiple family businesses including a farm and has computer engineering experience.
Natalie is looking forward to working with the CADA team to help to prevent and bring attention to issues of domestic and family existing in our society today.
Rhea Abraham
Rhea Abraham is a storyteller with heart. As a former journalist with experience across some of Australia’s leading networks, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Network 10, Rhea is passionate about communicating for change. She believes in the power of storytelling and the positive impact it can have on communities, particularly among marginalised groups or individuals. Rhea is currently a senior media advisor with the Queensland Government and enjoys lending her expertise in the areas of strategic media advisory, media training, and public relations.
Stacey MacMillan-White Director Fundraising
Stacey MacMillan-White is a social entrepreneur with a heart for helping. She is founder of How to Help, a social enterprise with a mission to make getting involved with charities, organisations and social enterprises easy. Stacey is also co-founder of Friend in my Pocket, a youth mental health app that will be available in the later half of 2024. Stacey has a strong background in marketing with a particular strength in customer experience and relationship management.
Angie Spencer
With a diverse and successful career in the government and not-for-profit sectors, Angie has been the driving force of the Government’s primary prevention strategy as Director of the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Council for the last four years. Her work always places those with a lived experience of DFV at the centre, her efforts driven by compassion, with an unwavering determination to eliminate DFV.
Angie is focused and driven, and significantly improved the profile of the organisations she has worked for through divergent thinking and the generation of creative measurable outcomes and audience driven engagement.
Danni Vee Director Strategic Partnerships
Danni has positively impacted thousands through her many roles in education, mentorship, coaching and her entrepreneurial ventures, which began at the age of 19.
Danni is a sought-after speaker, educator and an internationally best selling author. Danni is passionate about supporting those that feel their voices aren’t being heard to speak up with authentic confidence. With past experience of DV herself, Danni brings a learnt experience to her role.
CADA is an award winning domestic and family violence service
Timeline
1992
The Caboolture Domestic Violence Service (auspiced by Caboolture Community Care Inc.) was
funded as one of the first domestic violence specialist services funded by the state government
under the Domestic Violence Initiative Program.
1996
A Children’s Counsellor was first employed.
1997
The service became incorporated on the 11th November 1997 and renamed Caboolture Regional Domestic Violence Service (CRDVS). At this time CRDVS expanded to have a regional focus covering Caboolture, Kilcoy, Pine Rivers and Redcliffe local shires.
1999
CRDVS was successful in gaining further funding to provide Court Support in the four North Brisbane Magistrates Courts, Caboolture, Pine Rivers, Sandgate and Redcliffe.
2001
In conjunction with the Queensland Police Service, the Kids In Domestic Violence Situations (KIDVS) Faxback project was launched. This project was successful as it enhanced awareness of the effects of witnessing domestic violence on children.
2002
The KIDVS Faxback project was successful in being awarded a Police Commissioners Silver Lantern Award.
2003
CRDVS gained additional funding to extend service delivery to people experiencing domestic and family violence in intimate personal relationships, family relationships and informal care relationships. This funding was used to extend the premises of the existing domestic violence service and set up the Centre Against Violence.
2006
CRDVS launched the ‘Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Violence’ (CCR2DV) and ‘Integrated Response to DV’ (IR2DV) programs reflecting our desire to reduce the incidence of domestic violence by combining with other agencies and the community to improve responses. This was the first iteration of an integrated response in the region prior to these being recognised and funded by the state government.
2009
CRDVS formed a partnership with the ‘Moreton Bay Community Consortium’ to provide DV services throughout the Moreton Bay Region through a combined community response to access federal funds. Other members include Bribie Island Neighbourhood Centre, Encircle (formerly Pine Rivers Neighbourhood Centre and Redcliffe Community Association) and Deception Bay Neighbourhood Centre. CRDVS delivered a range of initiatives with this funding including interventions for perpetrators of violence, family support and therapeutic counselling.
2010
CRDVS made a commitment to building and maintaining cultural capability of our service and to increase engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the introduction of our first identified position via the Indigenous Community Engagement Project (ICEP).
2012
The Keeping Safe at Home Program (KSAH) was launched to provide safety upgrades for people affected by DFSV to remain in their homes.
2012 also saw the PRADO Project become a program and funding was provided via the state government rather than Queensland Police Service based on the merits shown in the project phase.
2015
Further funding was secured in 2015 to establish outreach services in Redcliffe and Pine Rivers. This allowed for expansion to provide offices and on site services for each area.
In 2015 the organisation began providing staff in a secondment capacity to Mercy Community Services Family and Child Connect (FACC) program and Churches of Christ Care Intensive Family Support (IFS) program as DFV specialist workers.
2016
KSAH was invited to participate in the Federal/State technologies trial designed to keep people affected by DV safer in their homes (KWSITH) together with 3 regional other sites.
2016 also marked the initial certification for the organisation under the Queensland Government’s Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF). This certification is a requirement for us to continue to be funded by the Queensland Government.
2017
CRDVS was renamed “Centre Against Domestic Abuse Inc.” (CADA). This change reflected the rapid growth that occurred including extra staffing, additional premises and coverage.
In 2017 CADA was subcontracted by Domestic Violence Action Centre (DVAC) to provide therapeutic counselling and crisis support in Kilcoy, as well as by Uniting Care Community (UCC) to provide a Partner Advocate for the Men’s Behaviour Change program.
In 2017 CADA won the Queensland Child Protection Award for ‘Regional Program’. An achievement of the significant collaborative work undertaken with families and child protection services.
2018
CADA secured funding to establish the Moreton Bay Women’s Wellbeing Hub. This service recognises the impact of women’s experience of violence and trauma on their health and wellbeing and prioritises early intervention and recovery support for women and young women who have experienced gender based violence.
2019
CADA secured funding to establish a High Risk Team for the Caboolture/Redcliffe Bay Region. The Caboolture HRT is a team of representatives from government and non government organisations that meet together to discuss cases where people experiencing domestic violence are at risk of imminent serious harm or lethality. The Caboolture HRT shares information about domestic, family and sexual violence, completes risk assessments and provides case coordination to improve the safety of people experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence.
The Caboolture HRT also aims to increase perpetrator accountability and improve systems responses for victims/survivors.
2022
30th Anniversary. CADA celebrates 30 years of making a positive difference in the lives of people experiencing domestic and family violence.
