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Forced adoption (or forced family separation) are the terms now used to describe the practices where many pregnant unwed women (and their partners) were subjected to unauthorised or illegal separation from their children. From the 1950s to the early 1970s, the prevalence of forced adoption in Australia was high. These practices were unethical, immoral and often illegal. There was a societal expectation for single mothers to “give up” their children to childless, married couples, who were seen as “deserving”. The shame and silence that surrounded pregnancy out of wedlock meant that these women were seen as “unfit” mothers. Forced adoptions occurred through maternity homes, hospitals and adoption agencies, and privately arranged adoptions. Doctors, nurses, social workers and religious organisations carried them out. Sometimes the mother’s own parents were complicit in coercing the mother (and father) into “consenting” to the adoption (AIFS, 2016). In the report, the Commonwe

The Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home was the new name given in 1906 to the former Victorian Infant Asylum and Foundling Hospital. It was also known as Berry Street. It accommodated babies and children up to the age of six. It also functioned as a maternity home, foundling hospital, adoption agency and trained Mothercraft Nurses. It was located on the corner of Berry and Vale Streets, East Melbourne. In 1964 it became known as the Berry Street Babies’ Home and Hospital. From 1914, it was run by a body incorporated under the Hospitals and Charities Act 1890, called the Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home Incorporated. In 1907, the institution began providing training for nurses. Berry Street would remain a significant training centre for mothercraft nurses until 1975 (although trainees were not known as Mothercraft Nurses until the 1930s). Nurses were apparently known as The Berry Street girls and were “familiar and popular figures around the streets of East Melbourne”, accord

The Department of Health, also known as the Health Department of Victoria, was established in 1985. It replaced the Health Commission of Victoria, and assumed its responsibilities for the management of public health providers in Victoria, including hospitals. In 1987 the Office of Psychiatric Services was added to the Department of Health, which was responsible for the management of psychiatric services across Victoria, including mental health institutions such as Mont Park, Larundel, Janefield, Travancore, Kew Children’s Cottages, and the psychiatric hospitals at Royal Park, Kew, Ballarat, Beechworth, and Ararat. In 1992 the Department of Health was replaced by the Department of Health and Community Services.

The Lunacy Department was established in 1905 as a department of the Victorian State Government, and part of the Chief Secretary’s Department. It replaced the Hospitals for the Insane Branch of the Chief Secretary’s Department. The Lunacy Department was responsible for the treatment of people deemed to have mental illness or intellectual disability. It had oversight of the management of public asylums and mental hospitals in Victoria, including Mont Park, Kew Children’s Cottages, Travancore, and the hospitals at Sunbury, Beechworth, Ballarat, Ararat, Royal Park, and Kew. In 1934 the Lunacy Department was replaced by the Department of Mental Hygiene, following the proclamation of the Mental Hygiene Act of 1933.

The Chief Secretary’s Department played a significant role in the administration of Victorian government agencies from the time of its establishment in 1855. Prior to this, the Colonial Secretary had responsibility for many of these functions. For a long period of Victoria’s history, the Chief Secretary’s Department was the body with ultimate responsibility for wards of the state and juvenile offenders (for example, Victoria’s Department of Neglected Children was a sub-department of the Chief Secretary’s Department). The Chief Secretary’s administrative involvement in child welfare means that the correspondence records of the Chief Secretary are a potentially rich source of information about children and families’ interactions with the ‘care’ system. The position of Chief Secretary was finally abolished in Victoria in 1980. The Chief Secretary’s administrative involvement in child welfare means that the records of the Chief Secretary are a potentially rich source of information abou

The Mount Lawley Government Reception Home was first established as an industrial school at Claisebrook in 1893 after the passage of the Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1893, moving to Subiaco in 1897. It functioned as a temporary reception centre for children temporarily or permanently placed out of home, which remained largely unchanged until the 1970’s despite a number of name changes. It originally housed girls, then older children. By 1902 it was known as the Government Industrial School and Receiving Depot. The Report by the Superintendent of Public Charities and Inspector of Industrial and Reformatory Schools, 1902 (p.16) noted that the “younger destitute children formerly detained in the Home for Women” were moved to Subiaco. By 1907 after the passing of the Child Welfare Act, the institution’s name changed to the Government

Tracy Dutton House was a family group home in Mitcham run by the Carry On Club Victoria from 1964. The home focused on short term care of the children of ex-servicemen and women, aged between 4 and 13. Carry On closed the Home in 1970. Tracy Dutton House was located at 10 Harrison Street, Mitcham. It closed in 1970 due to a gradual drop in the number of referrals.

This is a youtube video showing a children’s park on the former site of Fairbridge Farm School, Molong.

Fairbridge Farm School was established at Molong in 1938 by Fairbridge Farm Schools of New South Wales, as a home for child migrants, aged four to 18, who travelled from the United Kingdom under the Fairbridge Society. Around 1,000 children lived at Molong over a 35 year period, including Australian-born children who were also sent to the farm school. It closed in 1973. Molong, near Orange, was the primary destination for children arriving in New South Wales under the Fairbridge Scheme. It was based on the ideas of Kingsley Fairbridge that underprivileged children from the United Kingdom could be brought to Australia and placed in the country, where the boys could become farmers and the girls farmers’ wives. Although the memories of people who went to Fairbridge Farm School are varied, the reality was Fairbridge Farm School ‘trained’ the boys to be farmers’ labourers and the girls to be domestic servants. Children received little in the way of education. Children’s experiences at

Fairbridge Village provided accommodation and training for homeless and disadvantaged youth. It was established by Jesus People in 1983 on the former site of Fairbridge Farm School, Pinjarra. Funding difficulties meant that the project did not realise its aims to accommodate up to 250 young people at a time, and it closed in early 1985. Jesus People opened Fairbridge Village in July 1983. Fairbridge Farm School Pinjarra had closed in 1981. The site was then bought by Alcoa Australia but Fairbridge WA were given a 99 year lease at a peppercorn rent. “Old Fairbridgians” continued to use the site for meetings and gatherings. The site comprised a “cluster of more than 40 English cottage-style homes” (West Australian, 30 December 1983). Three buildings remained in control of Fairbridge – the clubhouse, the church and the “�

Understanding the background of state and territory welfare systems can make it easier to find records. For example, in South Australia there was a centralised government department that was usually involved in organising a child’s placement in ‘care’ so it makes sense to start with government records; in Victoria, until the 1950s many placements were likely to be arranged more informally by churches or charities (known as “voluntary” or “private placements”). Records may not be held by government archives, but with the past provider, or organisation that holds their records. Australian Capital Territory | New South Wales | Northern Territory | Queensland | South Australia |

Jesus People Welfare Services Incorporated was a Christian welfare service that was incorporated in Western Australia in 1974. Child welfare authorities made referrals to residential and youth welfare facilities run by Jesus People. It was also known later as Perth City Mission and in 1997 became part of Mission Australia. Mission Australia has inherited the records of Jesus People Welfare Services. Jesus People (Inc) as a legal entity was deregistered in 2006, but prior to that (in 1997) had become part of Mission Australia. Government reports (Signposts 2004, pp.344-345) and archival records show that young people (male and female) were placed in facilities run by Jesus People from at least 1975. A record from 1976 refers to ‘Jesus House’. There was a crisis centre in Hay Street, Perth that provided immediate shelter, food and support from youth workers. It ran a refuge in South Perth, and Carmel House in Morley and Yirra Hostel in Mount Lawley. It also ran a Youth Accom

This is a copy of a press clipping from around 1986, showing a photograph of Yirra Hostel, around the time it was established by Jesus People.

Yirra Hostel, also known as the Mount Lawley Hostel, was established in 1986 by the Jesus People for up to 17 young Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal men, through referrals from child welfare authorities or by self-referral. It aimed to provide medium-term support and accommodation in a family-type environment, and residents could stay until they felt ready to leave. An undated press clipping states that Yirra was the fourth hostel opened by Jesus People. Yirra closed in 1993.

Mission Australia Youth Accommodation and Support Service (YASS) was established in 1991 to provide safe and supported accommodation to young people who were homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness in Western Australia. It remained open in 2013, with accommodation programs for 15-18 year olds. Mission Australia’s Youth Accommodation and Support Service (YASS) was established in 1991, originally funded through the Youth Supported Accommodation Program, which was a sub-program of the Commonwealth/State funded Supported Accommodation Assistance Program. At that time, it was described as providing crisis and supported transitional accommodation for young people aged 15-25 years. In 2013, it had some programs aimed specifically at 15-18 year olds.

Mission Australia – Youth Accommodation and Support Service (YASS), Records is a collection of case files on young people who were accommodated by the YASS. The collection includes case notes, admission documents and consent forms. One year after the young person has left the service, the case files are deposited with an off-site archiving service. Access Conditions Access to records created by the Youth Accommodation and Support Service (YASS) is restricted. Mission Australia has advised that former residents can only access files (current or archived) through a legal application process via their head office in Sydney.

Mission Australia was formed in 1996 when Sydney City Mission (established in 1862), Adelaide City Mission (established in 1867), Wollongong City Mission, Perth City Mission (also known as Jesus People Inc.), Brisbane City Mission, Mission Australia Northern New South Wales, Mission Australia Southern New South Wales, Mission Australia Group Training and Mission Employment all joined forces. It provides a range of welfare services, although it no longer conducts residential care for young people or children. Mission Australia runs community and employment services across Australia, delivering youth and children’s programmes, jobseeker programmes, homelessness services and skills training. It has offices in every state. Records Records of the homes run by the organisations that merged in 1996 are under the control of Mission Australia. Some are lodged in the Mitchell Library, which is part of the State Library of New South Wales.

The Janefield Colony was established in 1937 by the Department of Mental Hygiene. It provided accommodation and educational instruction to children of all ages who were classified as ‘mentally deficient’. It initially admitted girls only, but from 1967 boys of school age were also admitted to Janefield. Janefield closed in 1996. The site of the Janefield Colony was formerly the site of the Janefield Sanatorium, a training farm for tuberculosis patients, run by the Australian Red Cross Society from 1920 to 1933. It was located on a 960 acre property at Bundoora, extending from Plenty Road to the Plenty River. The first children were transferred to Janefield from Kew Cottages in 1937. Children were frequently transferred between Janefield and a number of other Mental Health institutions in Victoria. Some children over the age of 14 were transferred from the institution at

Please contact Children’s Court of Western Australia. For access to records, please complete a ‘Request to Inspect or Obtain Copy of a Court Record’ form. Address: 160 Pier Street, Perth WA 6000 Phone: (08) 9218 0100 Email: childrenscourt@justice.wa.gov.au Website: https://www.childrenscourt.wa.gov.au/T/transcripts.aspx

This is a photo of boys in the woodworking classroom at Janefield Training Centre. It shows three boys standing around a table working on their woodwork projects, and another boy carrying a piece of timber behind them. The projects on the table look to include wooden boxes, and a small simple model of an animal. The boys are all wearing the same plain-coloured jumper, but have different shirts. This photograph is part of the collection of the Greensborough Historical Society, which includes other photographs and items (such as newsletters and school curriculum) from Janefield.

This is a photo of girls in the junior classroom at Janefield Training Centre. It shows two young girls standing in a large, bright room stacking blocks on top of each other. Another girl is sitting behind them in a row of tables and chairs lined up by the windows. The girls are all wearing the same uniform of a plain coloured jumper and a plaid skirt, and all have the same short haircut. This photograph is part of the collection of the Greensborough Historical Society, which includes other photographs and items (such as newsletters and school curriculum) from Janefield.

This is a photo of the milking shed and stables at Janefield Training Centre. It shows a range of sheds and stables arranged around a central brick courtyard, where there are trailers and buggies parked. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photo negative of one of the boys’ residential blocks at Janefield Training Centre. It shows a single-storey brick building with white windows and brick chimneys. The building is surrounded by lawn, and there are several large trees in the background. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photo of a display cupboard in the art and craft room at Janefield Training Centre. It shows a double-width cupboard with items such as dolls, animals, windmills, and magazine racks displayed – presumably all items made by children at Janefield. This photograph is part of the collection of the Greensborough Historical Society, which includes other photographs and items (such as newsletters and school curriculum) from Janefield.

This is a photographic negative of the Janefield Colony, also known as the Janefield Training Centre or Janefield Mental Hospital. It shows a long two-storey brick building with three front doorways with white render and brick surrounds. Two cars can be seen parked in front of the building, and there is a dog sitting in the driveway. There is another two-storey brick building that looks to be under construction visible in the background. This photo negative is one of a collection of 13 negatives of Janefield held by the Public Record Office of Victoria. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photographic negative of the Janefield Colony, also known as the Janefield Training Centre or Janefield Mental Hospital. It shows a long two-storey brick building with white windows, and a wide brick verandah. Several young girls all wearing dresses with white peter-pan collars can be seen standing on the verandah. The building is located at the top of a slope. Deck-chairs have been placed along the front of the verandah looking down the slope. There is another two-storey brick building visible in the background. This photo negative is one of a collection of 13 negatives of Janefield held by the Public Record Office of Victoria. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photographic negative of the Janefield Colony, also known as the Janefield Training Centre or Janefield Mental Hospital. It shows a long single-storey brick building with windows extending all along the front wall. Several metal-framed cots or beds can be seen in the windows, suggesting that this is possible a nursery building. There is a smaller octagonal room off to one side of the building. This photo negative is one of a collection of 13 negatives of Janefield held by the Public Record Office of Victoria. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photo of young girls and a staff member outside the Tress-Manning Home at the Church of England Girls’ Home, Carlingford. It shows a staff member standing with six young girls one the lawn in front of a two-storey brick house with verandahs on one side. The staff member and the girls are all wearing white dresses. Some of the girls have white bows in their hair, and one is holding a stuffed toy. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

The Health Commission of Victoria was established in 1978 by the Health Commission Act 1977. It took on the responsibilities previously administered by the Mental Health Authority, Department of Health, Commission of Public Health, and the Hospitals and Charities Commission. The Health Commission had three divisions: the Public Health Division, the Hospitals Division, and the Mental Health Division (which in 1981 was renamed to the Mental Retardation Division). In 1985 the Health Commission was disestablished, and its responsibilities were divided between the new Department of Health and the Department of Community Services.

The South Perth Refuge was established around 1983 by the Jesus People, who were also known as Perth City Mission.  The refuge was described in 1983 as providing safe accommodation and support for up to ten young women aged 14-25 years, generally without children, with the length of stay dependent on individual needs. The South Perth Refuge had closed by 1991.

National Redress Scheme Closes 30 June 2027 The National Redress Scheme was established following recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, for people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse. If you are thinking of making an application for Redress, the Find & Connect web resource holds information about the institutions you were in, and how to apply for any records that may exist about your time in ‘care’. For more information about Redress, and the free and confidential Redress Support Services, please visit the National Redress Scheme website or call the National Redress Information Line on 1800 737 377. Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme Closes 28 February 2026 The Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme is a financial and wellbe

The Wolston Park Hospital, situated at Wacol, Queensland, was a State-run facility. Wolston Park Hospital was previously known as the Brisbane Special Hospital, and sometimes was referred to as Goodna. It is known that children who were wards of the state were placed at Wolston Park during the 1960s-1980s, despite the existence of Wilson Youth Hospital and Karrala House, dedicated institutions for children and young people deemed to have mental health issues . It is estimated up to 60 wards of the state were sent to Wolston Park, usually as a transfer from a Queensland children’s institution or from Lowson House, an adult ward within Brisbane Hospital. From around the 1950s to the 1980s, juvenile “delinquency” was seen as a psychiatric as well as moral issue. As Chynoweth writes, “For decades, child protection polici

Carramar Homes, also known as Carramar Cottages or Carramar Hostels, at Girraween (near Parramatta) and Turramurra were established by the Home Mission Society of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and were later run by the Church of England (Anglican) organisation Charlton Youth Services. The Carramar Homes were maternity homes providing accommodation to expectant single mothers. They continued the work that had been done at the earlier Carramar Home at Turramurra, but at a smaller scale than before. The house at Girraween had accommodation for six young women under the age of 20, plus three live-in staff. The house at Turramurra catered for women over 20 years of age. There were also plans for a third house, which was intended to provide respite accommodation for up to three months for women and their newborn babies who had nowhere else to stay. It is not clear if this third house was ever opened. The Carramar Homes

Carramar, also called Carramar Maternity Home and Carramar Hostel, was an Anglican home for unmarried mothers that opened at Turramurra in 1961. It was run by the Home Mission Society and at its peak held up to 27 women. Mothers who kept their babies were sent to a post-natal cottage at Berowra. Its staff also arranged adoptions and the Carramar Adoption Agency was set up as part of Carramar. Carramar and the Berowra post-natal cottage closed in 1984, and two new, smaller Carramar Homes were established in their place. In 1966 the ABC Four Corners television programme visited Carramar as part of a story on adoption, and footage from the Home was featured in a 2012 Four Corners story about forced adoptions. One of the Matr

The Anglican Adoption Agency was the adoption agency for the Anglican Church in NSW. I had previously been known as the Church of England Adoption Agency until the name was changed in 1978. It arranged adoptions for many of the babies of women and girls who stayed at the Carramar Maternity Home, and later the Carramar Homes. Since 1997, the service has been known as Anglicare Adoption Services

Carramar Adoption Agency was established in 1961, and was known by that name until 1965, when it became the Church of England Adoption Agency. In 1978 the name was again changed, to Anglican Adoption Agency. Since 1997, the service has been known as Anglicare Adoption Services. Carramar Adoption Agency arranged adoptions for many of the babies of women and girls who stayed at the Carramar Maternity Home.

The Child Protection Systems Royal Commission was established in August 2014 to investigate the adequacy of the child protection system in South Australia. Royal Commissioner Margaret Nyland reported to the government on 5 August 2016. The report, titled ‘The life they deserve’ made 260 recommendations for improvements to the child protection system.

The Roman Catholic Orphan School was established at Waverley House, a large home in Waverley, in 1837. It was the first Catholic orphanage in Australia. It was opened in response to community concerns about Catholic children being placed in the government-run Protestant orphan schools, where they were raised as Protestants, not Catholics. The home was run by the Catholic archdiocese of Sydney, but received financial support from the State Government. The Home had capacity for approximately 100 children. It took in both girls and boys, housing them in separate ‘schools’. The children were taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and were sent to apprenticeships once old enough. The Home closed in 1844. In December 1840 it was reported in the Australasian Chronicle that a dinner had been held for the children at the Orphan School, funded by a local benefactor. The children ate roast beef, mutton, vegetables, and plum pudding. The benefactor requested that the dinner be an annua

The Thomas Street Asylum was established by the Benevolent Society of New South Wales in 1904. It was the only hospital in the city for destitute and homeless mothers nursing their infants. The Asylum also cared for orphans and foundlings who were usually discharged to the care of the State Children’s Relief Department. In 1911 Thomas Street Asylum became the Renwick Hospital for Infants. The Thomas Street Asylum was a new Asylum built by the Benevolent Society of New South Wales on the corner of Thomas Street and Quay Street, Ultimo, near Central Station in Sydney. The majority of women housed in Thomas Street Asylum were young, unmarried mothers. In 1911, the Asylum underwent alterations and wards providing for the treatment of sick infants were added. This new hospital was renamed the Renwick Hospital for Infants and was opened on 3 July 1911.

The Select Committee on Child Protection was set up in October 2010 and reported in 2011. It found that the child protection system was under ‘serious stress’ and that as a result, children were not receiving the care and protection that they needed. The situation was not caused by child protection workers, who did a good job under considerable pressure, but by problems within the culture and organisation of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Select Committee was set up following considerable publicity and concern about the situation of one state ward. This led to a debate in the Parliament about the problems with the child protection system and how to deal with them. The Report of the Committee depicted an over burdened system with 20,000 notifications and nearly 1000 children in state care during 2010. It received evidence that the current child welfare system was ‘unsustainable’ and unable to meet demand. Even though there had been 12 reports since 2005, followed