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AFA aims to promote the needs of Forgotten Australians through cooperative advocacy and projects. AFA does not provide a direct support service to Forgotten Australians.
A number of Support Groups do assist Forgotten Australians as a specific and identified part (or whole) of their work, these include:
Advocacy and Support Groups for Care Leavers
- The Alliance for Forgotten Australians - The Alliance includes groups and selected individuals promoting the interests of Forgotten Australians through advocacy and projects. The Alliance secretariat is located at Families Australia, an independent, peak, not-for-profit organisation. (www.forgottenaustralians.org.au)
- Care Leavers of Australia Network - a support and advocacy network for people brought up in care away from their family as state wards or children raised in orphanages, other institutions, or in foster care. (www.clan.org.au)
- The Child Migrants Trust - a registered charity that provides a service to help re-unite families of former child migrants. (www.childmigrantstrust.com)
- wingsforsurvivors - promoting the interests and welfare of Forgotten Australians and their dependants. (www.wingsforsurvivors.com)
The following services and supports are also available across Australia:
Other programs that recognise and support Forgotten Australians offering nation-wide support or counselling
- Lifeline (www.lifeline.org.au)
Lifeline operates a 24-hour telephone counselling service
Phone: 131114
- Mensline Australia (www.menslineaus.org.au)
Mensline Australia is the 24-hour national telephone support, information and referral service for men with family and relationship concerns.
Phone: 1300 789 978
- Relationships Australia (www.relationships.com.au)
Relationships Australia provides relationship support services in many locations across Australia (not crisis assistance).
Phone: 02 6122 7100
- Broken Rites (http://brokenrites.alphalink.com.au)
Broken Rites is a non-denominational support group for people who have been abused sexually, physically or emotionally in religious institutions.
Phone: 03 9457 4999
- CBERS (www.cbers.org)
Consultancy is a specialist service providing counselling and advocacy to former residents and students of Christian Brothers institutions.
Phone: 1800 621 805 (freecall within Aust.) or 08 9433 3644
- CREATE (www.create.org.au)
CREATE Foundation connects and empowers children and young people in care and improves the care system through activities, programs, training and policy advice.
Phone: 1800 655 105
- The Personal Helpers and Mentors (PHaMS) Program aims to provide increased opportunities for recovery for people who have a severe functional limitation resulting from a severe mental illness.
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State-based support services
Queensland
Micah Projects Inc provides the following services at Lotus Place: www.micahprojects.org.au
Ph: 07 3844 0966
- Forgotten Australian Support Services
Provide information and referral, personal and peer support through a drop in program which includes health and wellbeing activities, citizen advocacy and participation and promoting learning.
- Esther Advocacy & Redress Services
Provide advocacy and assistance in negotiating redress through criminal and civil justice system, and professional bodies and church complaint processes.
- Historical Abuse Network (HAN)
Connect people who were in the care of the church or state as children. Membership includes individuals who experienced abuse in church and state institutions, foster care, youth detention centres and those who as children were placed in adult mental health institutions.
Relationships Australia provide the following service at Lotus Place
PH: 1800 501 560
- Aftercare Resource Centre (ARC) ( www.aftercareresourcecentre.org.au/arc.asp)
Established to provide counselling and support to people who, as children, were in church or state care in Queensland and their families. ARC can provide a person with face-to-face counselling, telephone counselling and some financial assistance.
The following service is available to Queensland Forgotten Australians:
PH: 1800 674 256
The Forde Foundation (www.fordefoundation.org.au)
Aims to help former residents rebuild their lives while providing some redress for the harm and disadvantage that occurred (it is not a compensation scheme). Provide assistance with education, training and personal development in order to facilitate opportunities and improve quality of life, as well as health and dental care.
Western Australia
- The Department for Communities offers a range of support services and has social workers available from 9am - 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Phone: 1800 617 233
- Forgotten Australians Coming Together (FACT) is a support group in Western Australia.
Phone: 08 9337 4850
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
- Wattle Place
Wattle Place is a service to support those people who grew up in orphanages, Children’s Homes, institutions and foster homes in NSW from the 1920s to the 1990s, no matter where they live. Call Wattle Place on Freecall 1800 663 844 or visit: 67 High Street, Harris Park in Western Sydney.
- Department of Community Services
Phone: 02 9716 2222
- The Aftercare Resource Centre Support Service (www.relationships.com.au)
Telephone and face to face services for people who were in care in NSW.
Phone: 1800 656 884
- Now-Remembered Australians (www.nowrememberedaustralians.com) A peer support organisation in the Northern Rivers area of NSW.
Phone: 02 6622 1670
- Origins Inc NSW Adoption Support (www.originsnsw.com) supports Forgotten Australians through its HARP project.
Phone: 02 8786 1035 to find out more.
- Parragirls is a contact register and support network for the Forgotten Australians of the Parramatta Girls Home and other State controlled institutions in NSW. Their activities specifically address Recognition of Careleavers in the areas of historical research, memorials and reunions.
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Relationships Australia NSW (www.nsw.relationships.com.au) provides counselling, family support and Employee Assistance programs to support respectful and resilient relationships, families and communities.
PH: 1300 364 277 to find out more.
South Australia
- Post Care Services
Post Care Services is a service for adults who were in State or Out of Home Care as children in South Australia.
Phone: 1800 188 118 (Monday to Friday 8.45 am to 5.00 pm)
Tasmania
- After Care Support Service
Phone: 03 6222 7308
Victoria
Forgotten Australians information booklet avaliable
In 2008 AFA produced a booklet which has released 90,000 copies. It is informative and useful for Forgotten Australians and those who work, interact or relate with them.
This booklet can be viewed by clicking the following link which will download the booklet in PDF format - Forgotten Australian's Booklet.pdf (file size here).
You can also receive a free copy of this booklet by post or order a box for distribution. To place your order click this link to our Contact Us page and provide us with the details for your request.
Who are the Forgotten Australians?
The people who identify as Forgotten Australians are generally now aged from around 40 up. They are the survivors of the roughly 500,000 children who found themselves in institutional or other out-of-home care in the last Century. Visit this link for detailed information about Forgotten Australians
Research material and information is avaliable
To view useful research, policy and Reports (such as the Lost Innocents, and Forgotten Australians Reports), Senate Inquiry information and reviews about Forgotten Australians, you will find the following useful.
Click to view the page about Research & Information
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