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Father Hudson’s Society, United Kingdom

Father Hudson’s Society was one of the British Children’s Homes which sent child migrants to Australia. It was established in 1902 as the ‘Birmingham Diocesan Rescue Society for the Protection of Homeless and Friendless Catholic Children’ in Coleshill, Birmingham but was soon known as Father Hudson’s Society after its founder, Father George Vincent Hudson. In…

NCH Action for Children, United Kingdom

NCH Action for Children was established as a charity in 1869 by Thomas Bowman Stephenson to stop children having to go into workhouses. In 1908 the organisation became known as the National Children’s Home and in 1937, 1939 and 1950 it was involved in child migration to Australia. Since 2008 the organisation has been known…

Family Care Society

The Family Care Society was one of the agencies that gave evidence to the Inquiry into the Welfare of Former British Child Migrants in 1998. At that time, it was a voluntary adoption agency in Northern Ireland, ‘working with the sending agencies in getting information, in tracing families and providing counselling and arranging for reunion…

The Children’s Society, United Kingdom

The Children’s Society was established in Britain in 1881 as ‘The Waifs and Strays Society’. From 1925 to 1961 they were involved in sending a total of around 400 children from their Homes in Britain to Australia. Children from The Children’s Society homes emigrated under schemes operated by The Fairbridge Society, The Church of England…

Catholic Child Welfare Council, United Kingdom

The Catholic Child Welfare Council was founded in 1929 in Britain. When it appeared before the British Parliament’s Inquiry into the Welfare of Former British Child Migrants it was the peak agency for Catholic welfare agencies. In 1994, the CCWC created a Child Migrant Sub-Committee to collate the records and develop a database of children…

Mercy Community Services (Inc)

Mercy Community Services (Inc) was established by the Sisters of Mercy (Perth) in 1997 to carry on the services of the Catherine McAuley Family Centre. In 2002, the ownership of Mercy Community Services Inc was transferred to MercyCare Ltd which is legally and operationally separate from the Sisters of Mercy.

CBERSS: Christian Brothers Ex Residents and Students Services

‘CBERSS’ (Christian Brothers Ex-Residents and Students Services) was established in 1995. It was set up as an independent agency to advocate for and provide a range of services to people who had been in Christian Brothers’ institutions or schools as children and who had suffered in some way from that experience. Although originally set up…

Victims of Institutionalised Cruelty Exploitation and Supporters

Victims of Institutionalised Cruelty Exploitation and Supporters, commonly called, VOICES, was set up by Bruce Blyth in 1991 to bring abuses suffered in Christian Brothers institutions in Western Australia to the public’s attention and to advocate for a ‘judicial inquiry’. [From the National Library’s Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project] Victims of…

Mofflyn Child and Family Care Services

Mofflyn Child and Family Care Services took over the role of the former Uniting Church Child and Family Services in 1984. It was commonly known as ‘Mofflyn’ and was the principle residential child welfare agency of the Uniting Church in Western Australia. Mofflyn Child and Family Care Services was part of the merger of Uniting…

Uniting Church Child and Family Care Services

The Uniting Church Child and Family Care Services emerged in 1977 taking over the role of the Methodist Homes for Children as well as the broader responsbilties for Mogumber Training Centre and Sister Kate’s Children’s Cottage Home. In 1978 it was part of the Uniting Church Caring Services, which also included aged care and various…