The Find & Connect Support Services can help Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants and others who spent time in out of home care between 1920 and 1990 find family members.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people separated from their families under the past laws, practices and policies of Australian governments can get help to locate family with Link-Up services: http://aiatsis.gov.au/research/finding-your-family/link-services.
People affected by forced adoption can find organisations that can help here: https://www.dss.gov.au/families-and-children/programmes-services/family-relationships/forced-adoption-practices/support-services-for-people-affected-by-past-forced-adoption-policies-and-practices
There are a number of places you can search for family members if you know their name:
The White Pages: http://www.whitepages.com.au/
The electoral roll is a list of the names and addresses of everyone who is eligible and enrolled to vote in Australia. http://aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/About_Electoral_Roll/.
Every state and territory has a registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (or BDM), which you can find here: http://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/family-and-community/births-deaths-and-marriages-registries.
There are Facebook groups that may assist you in your search, but you must exercise care if you choose to join them. These groups are not in any way affiliated with Find & Connect, and we don’t monitor or recommend any of them specifically. You may find some information using groups such as these, however:
- Remember that Facebook is a public space. Unless you use its messaging facility, what you post on your or somebody else’s profile is visible to everyone. Think about your privacy as well as the privacy of the person you are trying to locate.
- People all over the world use sites like Facebook. Make sure that you have the right person before making contact!
- Not everyone is who they say they are online. Take precautions to protect yourself – don’t share personal information such as your address, phone number, or birthday. If you already use social media, ensure your profiles are private.
- Not everyone will act in your best interests. If you are seeking assistance online, you are vulnerable. The Australian Cyber Security Centre has information on protecting yourself online – be familiar with it before contacting or sharing information with anyone in these groups: https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/individuals-and-families/do-things-safely
Some Facebook groups that may be useful:
AUSSIE & UK ANGELS – Reuniting long lost Family & Friends
This is a volunteer -based group that may assist you to find a loved one https://www.facebook.com/groups/1669732293272781
There is also a more private group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220988492474321/
DNA Detectives
Note : This private group focuses on using DNA to find biological family members.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DNADetectives
Local area pages on Facebook
The following pages may contain photos of past members, associates, alumni etc.
- Community pages
- Local Sporting Groups
- Associations often place
- ‘Remember when’ pages
- School Pages
- School reunion pages
Eligibility for Find & Connect Support Services
The Find & Connect support services are for people who were in children’s homes, orphanages and foster care in Australia, from the 1920s up to 1989. For many people, the journey of accessing records will be about more than the person who grew up in ‘care’ – the records about the person’s parents, siblings and other family members can also contain vital information. Many people who have a close relative who was in a children’s institution want to access these records, to understand more about their family and their past.
The Find & Connect support services are under considerable demand – people wanting to access records about a family member may not be eligible for help with searching. Calling the Find & Connect support service to discuss your situation is a good first step – 1800 16 11 09.