Please contact the Freedom of Information Team at the Department for Child Protection:
Phone: (08) 8226 4399
Postal address: GPO Box 1072, Adelaide SA 5001
Email: DCP.FOI@sa.gov.au
Website, Out-of-Home Care information: https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/research-and-publications/freedom-information/provision-information-care-leavers
Website, Adoptions information: https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/support-and-guidance/adoption-processes/applying-for-adoption-information
Quote this number to access your records: State Records of South Australia Series ID, GRG29/123
These records are part of Records of the Social Welfare Department and predecessors (1849 - c. 1987).
From 1920 the State Children’s Department began to create ‘files relating to children under departmental supervision’ (GRG 29/123). These were a series of correspondence dockets on different subjects created when necessary. Each docket relates to a child who was under departmental care.
Access to these records is restricted for 100 years in order to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to these records please contact the Department for Child Protection Freedom of Information team.
Each docket carries a reference made up of a number and the year in which it was create so for example 1/1922 would be the first docket created in 1922 and 2/1922, the second. Sometimes a number of dockets might be created relating to one child. Each would have a different reference number.
Although each docket concerns a particular child, the name on the file is not always that of the child. Files are also titled with the name of the parent or a foster carer. The first series of these files relates to children who came into care from 1920 onwards and who left care by the early 1950s. A later series GRG 29/108 relates to children who came into care from 1950-1978.
This series is arranged alphabetically by surname.