Links to various services in each state

Accessing records

A child's placement could have been arranged by the State (a State ward), by a church or welfare organisation or organised privately.

If you were a State ward, a government agency should hold a record of your placement (although some records may no longer exist). The amount of information may vary, from a simple name on a register to a more detailed file. Please consult the State specific sections of this guide for links to relevant agencies and support groups.

If you were not a State ward, you will need to contact the organisation that was responsible for your care. Please consult the State specific sections of this guide for more information. If you do not know the name of the organisation that was responsible for your placement, please contact one of the agencies or support groups listed for advice.

Victoria

If you were a State ward in Victoria (up until 1986), contact Family Information Networks and Discovery (FIND) at the Department of Human Services to enquire about your file. Direct your enquires to:

Family Information Networks and Discovery (FIND)
Level 20, 570 Bourke St, Melbourne 3000
Phone: (03) 8608 5700 or 1300 769 926
Email: findduty@dhs.vic.gov.au

For State ward files dated 1987 and onwards, you will need to lodge a Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the Corporate Integrity Information and Resolutions Unit at the Department of Human Services. Direct your enquiries to:

Corporate Integrity Information and Resolutions unit
Department of Human Services
Level 21, 50 Lonsdale street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Freedom of Information reception:
Phone: (03) 9096 8449
Fax: (03) 9096 7459

A list of known organisations that managed children's institutionsthroughout Australia (including location of records if known) is available to view at the Find And Connect website.

For advice, support and family searching services, contact Open Place - a Victorian support service for Forgotten Australians.

All is not lost

If you were not a State ward, you will need to contact the organisation that was responsible for your care. A list of known organisations that managed children's institutions in Victoria (including location of records if known) is available to view at the Pathways Victoria website. If you are unsure of the name of the organisation, or if they no longer exist, contact Open Place for assistance.

Historical records

Index to children's registers c.1850-1893 [microform] / compiled by Jenny Carter and Marion Paul ; edited by John Hollis.

Available in the State Library's Genealogy Centre. This index is also available to search on Ancestry Library Edition, available onsite to Library users.

Index to children in Victorian institutions, 1860-1863 [microform] / [compiled by Helen Doxford Harris].
Available in the State Library's Genealogy Centre.

New South Wales

Department of Community Services - You can arrange to view your wardship file, by contacting a Community Services Centre
If you do not currently live in NSW, you will need to contact the Freedom of Information Unit:
Locked Bag 4028
Ashfield NSW 1800
Fax: 02 9716 3400

Aftercare Resource Centre (NSW)
Specialist service funded to support people who, as children, have been in care in New South Wales.

Salvation Army Special Search Service
P.O.Box A435 SYDNEY SOUTH NSW 1235
Telephone (02) 9211 6491
1300 667 366
Email: SpecialSearch@aue.salvationarmy.org

Origins (NSW)
Supports Forgotten Australians through the Origins Harp Healing and Recovery Project

Centacare
Assists former residents of Catholic Children's Homes in NSW to search for their personal records

Historical records

Mittagong Farm Home for Boys, 1907-21
Orphan schools, 1817-86
Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children, 1852-1915

Sydney Benevolent Asylum Index to Admissions and Discharges 1857-1900