About us
Breakaway Toowoomba is a leading provider of quality respite and support services for people with a disability and their families in the Toowoomba region.
We have been working closely with families and carers for over 36 years to design care and respite services that support and empower people with a disability and their families.
Breakaway Toowoomba’s respite services extend beyond providing relief for carers and families. We provide extensive support and resources designed to enrich the lives of participants through social interactions and involvement in community activities.
Established in 1986, Breakaway Toowoomba Inc. is a non-profit organisation whose focus is on providing quality Support and respite services to people with a disability, their carers and families.
Our History
Breakaway Toowoomba began when a group of parents united to provide a respite service for families in Toowoomba and nearby regions. This basic service was run by parents who volunteered their time, until funding became available from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Housing.
The organisation was instrumental in changing the focus from centre-based group support to an individual community-based approach. Prior to this time respite resources were severely limited and rural families were often disadvantaged by their distance to support.
Breakaway continues to evolve and grow, resulting in more services being made available to a greater number of families.
In July 2004, the organisation changed its name to Breakaway Toowoomba Inc. (Breakaway) as it is known today. Since this time of change, the organisation has continued to evolve and grow, resulting in more services being made available to a greater number of families.
Breakaway was first granted certification in February 2007 and was recertified in March 2010 by the Internationally recognised quality assurance authority, the Institute for Healthy Communities Australia (IHCA). This certifies that Breakaway has demonstrated compliance with the Human Services Quality Standards and indicates to our staff, carers and community that they are able to feel confident about the standard of support that they will receive.
In early 2008 Breakaway purchased 1500sq metres of land at 461B Bridge Street to build a respite facility. The culmination of an 8-year project ‘Breakaway on Bridge’ was officially opened on Friday 6 March 2015. BoB (as it is affectionately known) has five (5) beds for clients and two (2) for staff, as well as a large room for day respite.
In November 2009, Breakaway commenced an innovative accommodation service to support 24 hours a day sustainable housing tenancies for six (6) adults with disabilities. This service offers exciting opportunities for independent living. The key characteristics of this service include a relatively low level of support and a structured program of life, social skills development with the aim of which is to promote independence by empowering individuals through a person-centred strength-based developmental approach of supports.
In 2019, Breakaway opened our first Specialised Disability Accommodation house where we assist clients with high support needs. Our support enables participants to live independently with the assistance of our services where required, to manage their home and independence.
Our mission is to deliver professional support services that enable autonomy for you and your family through co-designed goals to live your best life on your terms.
Our vision is to be an expert industry leader in disability and human services, with connected, reliable, quality local support for clients and families to inspire inclusion and confidence.
Annual Report
Contact us
Breakaway Toowoomba
Office 3 Bell Street,
Toowoomba City Qld 4350
Postal PO Box 6008,
Clifford Gardens Qld 4350
