On 16 November 2009, the Australian Government formally apologised to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants for the neglect and abuse many experienced during their time in ‘out of home care’ last century.
Find & Connect support services have been set up to help Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants uncover their history, trace and reclaim their identities, help build relationships with their families and come to terms with their past.
Who is Find & Connect for?
Find & Connect has been established to support Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.
More than 500,000 children grew up in orphanages, foster care and children’s homes.
Children were placed in ‘out of home care’ for a number of reasons, including family poverty, parental ill health or breakdown in relationships. Over 7,000 of these children were deported, mostly from the United Kingdom and Malta, and placed in institutions, often without their families’ knowledge or consent.
Life in ‘out of home care’ for many of these children has resulted in lifelong grief and loss.
What support does Find & Connect provide?
The Australian Government has set up a national network of Find & Connect support services to help improve the lives of Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.
Through these services, you can receive personalised support that will respect and understand your experience and assists with your current needs.
The support services will help you to:
- Access personalised support and counselling and, where possible, help you to obtain your personal records, trace your history and understand why you were placed into care
- Connect with other services and support networks that may assist you at this time in your life
- Reconnect with family, if this is possible
How can I find my records?
Sometimes finding out about your past isn’t possible because records have been lost or destroyed.
However, the Find & Connect web resource is a useful starting point in your search for your records. It may help you find out about the Homes in which you grew up and where you might find information about your records from that time.
The web resource has pictures of many children’s Homes and institutions as well as information about support groups and services for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.
Contact us
Call 1800 16 11 09 or 6164 0240.
Visit www.findandconnect.gov.au