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Perth College was established in 1902 by the Sisters of the Church, an Anglican religious order, as a boarding and day school. From 1902 to around 1910, the college also accommodated girls aged 6-10 years who had been brought by the Sisters in 1901 from the Orphanage of Mercy, Kilburn in England. ‘Destitute’ babies were also housed at the college until 1903, when they were transferred to the Waif’s Home, Parkerville and temporarily, in 1903, some orphan boys lodged at Perth College when Tower House closed. In 2014, Perth College continues to operate as a day and boarding school. Perth College, in the ‘Hawkesbury’ building in Perth, was established in 1902 by the Sisters of the Church, an Anglican religious order that was later named the Community of the Sisters of the Church. Perth College was established as a boarding and day school for local girls, but the college also accommodated girls aged 6-10 years who had been brought by the Sisters in 1901 from the Orphanage of Mercy, Kilbu

This image is also available in the State Library of New South Wales. The description in from the State Library of NSW states: First service held at Goulburn Island, Arnhem Land, 1916. Image shows 4 missionaries giving a service to Indigenous Australians on Jesus walking on the sea. In 2026 a relative of one of the missionaries in the photo contacted us to confirm this was taken in 1916, by Edward Reichenbach, also known as Ted Ryko.

St Margaret’s Hospital was established in Strawberry Hills [Surry Hills] in 1894 as a lying-in home, by a religious community led by Gertrude Abbott. It grew and became a maternity hospital, lying in home and provided midwifery nursing training. In 1910, St Margaret’s moved to Darlinghurst. From 1937 was run by the Sisters of St Joseph . St Margaret’s was an adoption agency and an obstetric teaching hospital for the University of Sydney. St Margaret’s Public Hospital operated as part of the hospital from 1946-1993 and St Margaret’s Children’s Hospital operated from 1967-1979. St Margaret’s closed in 1998. St Margaret’s Hospital was started in 1894 by a group of women living in an informal Catholic religious community in ‘Lorraine Terrace’, 561 Elizabeth Street, Strawberry Hills (Surry Hills), on the corner of Cleveland Street. The leader of this community was Gertrude Abbott, who had been a Josephite nun in Adelaide (formerly Mary Jane O’Brien, then Sister Ignatius of Jesus). Gertru

Please contact the Care Leaver Records Service: Phone: (03) 9096 8449 Email: clrs@dffh.vic.gov.au Website: https://www.dffh.vic.gov.au/making-freedom-information-request

Karril Cottage was a government-run Home for school-aged boys and girls. It had opened by 1973 and was located in the suburb of Kellyville. Karril Cottage closed in the late 1980s. Although a NSW government guide to records, Connecting Kin (1998), stated that Karril Cottage was a boy’s Home, it was a Home for boys and girls. Boyle (1996) refers to 14 girls coming to Karril Cottage from Thornbury Lodge in 1973. Emails from former residents to the Find & Connect resource also confirm that girls and boys lived at Karril Cottage in the 1970s and early 1980s. A newspaper article from 2005 refers to Karril Cottage being “a boys’ home in Kellyville in the late 1980s” (Sydney Morning Herald, 24 November 2005). In 2006 a former private music teacher who taught boys from Karril Cottage was convicted of sexually abusing students, including at least one from Karril Cottage.

The Historical Abuse Network provides support for people who have experienced abuse in institutions, foster care and detention in Queensland. The Historical Abuse Network can be contacted at Lotus Place. The aims of the Historical Abuse Network are: to maintain a voice so as to continue dialogue regarding the recommendations from the Queensland Government’s Forde Inquiry to share and disseminate information to support each other to reconnect and create support groups for ex-residents of each institution and former children in care as required to promote affirmative action and ensure recognition of the continued discrimination and disadvantage of ex-residents and former children in care. Membership of the Historical Abuse Network is open to anyone: who lived in an institution

The Fairfield Home for Refugee Children was a children’s Home run by the Sydney Anglican Home Mission Society, via its Care Force unit. It was also known as the Fairfield Hostel for Refugees, and the Condell Park Home for Refugee Children (though it is not known if it was ever located at Condell Park). It was opened at Tasman Parade Fairfield in 1980, and moved to Hamilton Road, Fairfield, in 1986 until it was closed in 1988. At this time no more information about this home is known. If you have more information about this home please get in touch with Find & Connect.

Koolyangarra Fostering Agency (Nowra) was a New South Wales Aboriginal Children’s Services organisation funded by the New South Wales Department of Community Services.

This page is a resource to help people understand the words and abbreviations commonly found on child welfare records. It contains explanations and definitions for many words, terms and abbreviations. Please be aware that this page contains language and terms that are derogatory and offensive. The records from a child or young person’s time in institutional ‘care’ can be difficult to understand and interpret – files from government departments and past providers often contain abbreviations and acronyms, unfamiliar terms and jargon. Access to Records by Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants (Department of Social Services, 2016) recommends that record-holding organisations prov

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:

A Resource for People with Experience of Adoption and/or Out-of-Home Care

Redfern Aboriginal Children’s Service was established in 1975, after the Aboriginal Legal Service identified a high number of Aboriginal children escaping from custody or from fostering situations and coming to Redfern to search for their families. Many Aboriginal children were either placed into the care of non-Aboriginal families, or were wards of the state. The ACS continues to support Aboriginal children’s wellbeing, connecting with family and alternate care. Redfern was a key location for Aboriginal self-determination, with Aboriginal-run organisations including the Aboriginal Legal Service and Aboriginal Medical Service being established in 1970 and 1971. In 1972, Black Theatre, an Aboriginal-run theatre company was started, and in 1973 the Aboriginal Housing Company was incorporated. Also in 1972, Murawaina, a childcare centre run by and for Aboriginal people, was established. While the ACS had paid staff, there were also many who worked without pay over the years to ensur

The Hay Institution for Girls was opened in the old Hay Gaol in 1961. It was an annexe of Parramatta Girls Training School, and held 12 girls aged 15 to 18 who had committed offences, including rioting to protest their treatment, while they were in Parramatta. They were officially sent to Hay for three month terms, but this was often extended, and girls could be sent between Hay and Parramatta multiple times. The Hay Institution for Girls became the subject of widespread community condemnation and closed in 1974. The Hay Institution for Girls was proclaimed in the old Hay Gaol on 28th July 1961 as a ‘school for the reception, detention, maintenance, discipline, education and training of children and young persons committed to such institution to be known as Institution for Girls, Hay’. Its establishment came after a series of riots that had taken place at the Parramatta Girls Home in early 1961. The girls sent from Hay from Parramatta were considered ‘incorrigible’. The first gir

This image was included in the National Museum of Australia’s Inside blog, originally provided by Community Services New South Wales, Human Services.

The Tweddle Hospital for Babies and School of Mothercraft, in Footscray, opened in 1920. In the 1960s, Tweddle was classified as an approved children’s home. Tweddle provided temporary care for babies and toddlers awaiting foster care or adoption, including some wards of state from 1965 until the late 1980s. It also provided short term care for babies whose mother was ill or otherwise incapacitated. On 31 October 1990 the organisation was incorporated as a Public Hospital under the Health Services Act 1988 and became the Tweddle Child and family Health Service. Around 2012, Tweddle gave a formal apology for its involvement in past forced adoption practices. It continues to operate in 2026 as a statewide Early Parenting Centre providing services for pregnant women, and families with children aged under five.

Holy Cross Home, in Wooloowin, was operated by the Sisters of Mercy. The institution was renamed in 1966 – formerly it was known as the Industrial School for Girls, Wooloowin. Holy Cross Home discontinued accepting girls in care and control from 1 April 1973. State Government funding ceased in 1974. Holy Cross Home was located on the same site as the Holy Cross Retreat, a maternity home also run by the Sisters of Mercy. The Holy Cross Home was licensed under the Children’s Services Act 1965 on 4 August 1966. A publication from 1976 stated that Holy Cross Home ceased accommodating girls in 1973 (previously it had accommodated girls, single mothers as well as women with intellectual disabilities). “In recent years, girls as young as 12 years of age were being admitted. By law these girls were required to have a formal education. The lack of educational facilities to take care of their needs was another factor which resulted in

Holy Cross Retreat or Magdalen Asylum, in Wooloowin, was operated by the Sisters of Mercy, Brisbane Congregation. It opened in 1889 as a home for unmarried mothers, disabled girls and infants. It ceased operating as a home for very young children in 1959. From 1974 it no longer cared for children but provided continuing care for physically and intellectually disabled persons and single mothers. In 1978 its function changed to a centre for intellectually and physically disabled persons and was renamed Mercy Centre. Mother Mary Vincent was instrumental in the establishment of Holy Cross Retreat. She came to Queensland from Ireland in 1861. The Holy Cross Retreat foundation stone was laid on Sunday 22nd April 1888 by Archbishop Dr Dunne. The Holy Cross Retreat was then opened 13th October 1889 by the Governor Sir Henry Norman. This institution was also referred to as the Magdalen Asylum. The girls worked in the laundry which was co-located on the site. State Government funds contrib

These registers record details about children admitted to the Townsend Pre-School for Hearing and Hearing Impaired Children. Information recorded includes child’s name, gender, admission date, date of birth, religion, parent’s names and occupations, address, and reason for leaving school. It is not clear if this register includes details about children who lived at Townsend House, or if it only includes details of non-residential students. Access Conditions These registers are open access and can be viewed by any member of the public. To arrange access to these records please contact State Records of South Australia.

This admission and discharge book contains details about children and young people admitted to the Central Norther Region Assessment Unit, which was also known as the Gilles Plains Assessment Unit or the Northern Metro Assessment Unit. It contains information such as child’s name, date of birth, endowment/DSS number, age, cultural group, sex, date of admission, where admitted from/previous address, reason for admission, name of their social worker or district centre, discharge date, place discharged to, and coordinators name. Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years 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.

The Gilles Plains Community Unit opened at Gilles Plains in 1979 as an open unit for boys who had been committed to Brookway Park. Run by the government, it provided long term accommodation for up to eight boys aged 9 to 15 who were deemed to be able to live in the community. It was also known as the Central Northern Region Assessment Unit, and the Northern Metro Region Assessment Unit. The Unit closed in 1990 and was replaced in 1992 by a new facility built on the same site, the Gilles Plains Assessment Unit. The Gilles Plains Community Unit opened at 643 North East Road, Gilles Plains in 1979 as an open unit for boys of school age who had been committed to Brookway Park, a secure care institution for young boys who had committed offences. Run by the government, the Gilles Plains Unit provided long term accommodation for boys between the ages of 9 and 15 whom the government deemed could live in the community. In 1982 five boys were resident in the Unit which was managed by a Senior

These two admission books record details about children and young people admitted to the Western Region Admission Unit at Somerton Park, which was initially known as the Central Region Admission Unit. Information recorded in the books includes child’s name, admission number, admission date, their age, date of birth, name of their Community Welfare Worker or District Office, who/where they were admitted by (e.g. courts, police, parents, or another institution), date discharged from the Unit, and who discharged to (e.g. parents, other institutions, or other accommodation). Access Conditions Access to these records is restricted for 100 years 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.

St Heliers was established at Muswellbrook by the Child Welfare Department in 1945. It was a rural training home, organised on the cottage system, on 700 acres. Some children were transferred from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and placed in this Home. It was initially for boys aged 14 to 18 years who were thought to benefit from, and prefer, training for rural and farm work. In 1973 the property became a care facility for both boys and girls, housing 92 children. St Heliers closed in 1986 and in 1989 was converted to an adult correctional facility. According to NSW Corrective Services, St Heliers was part of the original St Heliers property, which was settled by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dumaresq and named after a town on the Isle of Jersey. The property passed through several owners before being bought by the State Government in 1945. It was used as a child welfare institution until its closure in 1986. There were at least two, and later, five cottages as St Heliers, eac

State Records of South Australia hold a large quantity of records created by the various departments responsible for child welfare that contain information about adoptions in South Australia. These include Adoption files, adoption index cards, envelopes containing details of relinquishing parents, and a short register of children available for adoption. The records date from 1915 up to the current day, and include details about children who were placed for adoption, and their biological and adoptive parents. Access Conditions Access to these records is permanently restricted 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. Records Adoption files – State Children’s Department and success

Tally Ho opened in 1903 in Burwood. This institution, run by the Wesley Central Mission, was for boys ‘rescued’ from the city slums to be trained in farm work. From 1977, Tally Ho received girls as well as boys. It closed in 1986. Tally Ho Training Farm opened in 1903 under the auspices of the Wesley Central Mission. Disillusioned with boy rescue schemes to send unemployed boys up country during the 1890s depression, the Rev. George Cole (1859-1919) established Tally Ho to prepare city youth for farm work. An article in 1911 quotes Cole (described as a “happy combination of parson and farmer”) saying that he used to work with elderly men at the Central Mission “and then I got tired of working with the old fellows. I found they knew too much for me. I started to work out here for the boys. When you save an old man you save a unit. When you save a boy you save a whole multiplication table” (Weekly Times, 9 December 1911). The site was between Burwood and Highbury Roads, ex

Please contact the Professional Standards Office Records Service of the Catholic Church: Postal Address: Catholic Diocesan Centre, 39 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000 Phone: (08) 8210 8275 or 1800 139 020 Email: receptionprofstandards@adelaide.catholic.org.au Website: https://adelaide.catholic.org.au/our-people/integrity-and-safeguarding/integrity-and-professional-standards-team

The Correspondence files of the Education Department contain letters and memorandum received and sent by the South Australian Education Department, including some that relate to schools at Point Mcleay Mission Station, Point Pearce Aboriginal Station, the Salvation Army Probationary School, Mount Barker (Eden Park), and Townsend House School for Deaf and Blind Children. The correspondence relating to these institutions includes records about the health, attendance, activities, and conduct of children, about school curriculum, activities, and policies, and about the employment and conduct of school staff. Access Conditions Records in this series are Open Access and may be viewed by any member of the public. To access these records please contact State Records of South Australia. Records The below document contains a list of items in this series that may be of relevance to members of the Stolen Generations or Care Leavers. The items in this list are arranged by the

Marymead CatholicCare holds over 400 boxes of card files and paper files dating from its inception in 1967 to the present day. The number of files is substantial as thousands of children or young people have stayed at Marymead Child and Family Centre and long-term residents could be with Marymead for upwards of 10 years. A file has been created for each client in either a card or paper format. The archive also includes a large number of photographs that trace the development of Marymead and features many children who were supported by the organisation. Access Conditions For access to these records please contact Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn. It is a policy of Marymead CatholicCare not to charge clients for copies of their records. Also, clients have the right to add information to their file, and to insert an amendment should they believe that the information that Marymead CatholicCare holds is not accurate. An electronic database indexing client files ha

Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn commenced on the 30th June 2023, following a merger of Marymead Child and Family Centre merged with CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn. Among other services it provides foster care, short-term accommodation for teenagers and young adults, and runs a Permanency Support Program. Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn provides access to the records of the Marymead Child and Family Centre.

Please contact Marymead CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn: Postal Address: PO Box 3167, Manuka ACT 2603 Phone: (02) 6162 5800 or (02) 6162 6100 Email: enquiries@mccg.org.au Website: https://mccg.org.au/

State Records of South Australia holds a large collection of Client Files and Family Files that were kept by the State departments responsible for child and social welfare, as well as indexes that provide reference to these files. These files contain information about children in the child welfare system and their families, and include files about Aboriginal children, families, and individuals. They also include information about the paternity of children born out of wedlock, maintenance payments made for children who had been placed in ‘care’, and information about children and families who had interactions with the government departments responsible for child and social welfare but where children were not placed in out-of-home care. Access Conditions 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 restricted records pleas

State Records of South Australia holds records that contain information about Aboriginal people in South Australia, including children who were removed from their families by the state (also known as the Stolen Generations), and about Aboriginal missions, stations and reserves, and government policies impacting Aboriginal people. The records were kept by the State departments responsible for the oversight of Aboriginal people in South Australia. Some of the records directly relate to individual children who were removed from their families, whereas other more administrative records can provide contextual information about the systematic removal of Aboriginal children from their families and the mechanisms of control the State imposed on Aboriginal people. State Records also hold Client Files about Aboriginal families and children that were created or maintained by the Social Welfare Departments – more information about those files

There is a small collection of records from the Raukkan Aboriginal School, also known as the Point McLeay Mission School, held by the State Records of South Australia. The collection includes admission registers and inspectors registers, which contain information about the school itself, and children attending the school, which includes Aboriginal children living at Raukkan/Point McLeay Mission. Access Conditions The Admission Registers in this series are open access, and may be viewed by any member of the public. For access to open records please contact State Records of South Australia. Some of the Inspectors registers are restricted to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To arrange access to restricted records please contact the Department of Education Information Release Unit. Records The Admission registers in this collection contain basic details about children admitted to the schoo

State Records of South Australia hold a collection of records created by the Parkside Lunatic Asylum, later known as the Parkside Mental Hospital, that contain details about people admitted to the institution and the treatments they received. Some of the record books used by the Parkside Asylum/Hospital were also used by the earlier Colonial Lunatic Asylum and Adelaide Asylum, and some continued to be used by Glenside Mental Hospital into the early 21st century. A full list of records from the Parkside Lunatic Asylum and Parkside Mental Hospital, including links to more details about these records, can by found under the ‘Inventory of Series’ tab at the bottom of the State Records of South Australia catalogue entry linked on this page. Access Conditions Access to records about the Parkside Lunatic Asylum and Mental Hospital is restricted for up to 100 years to protect personal privacy. People in these records have a right to access information about themselves. For acces

Find & Connect is for people who spent time in an orphanage or children’s home in Australia between 1920 and 1990. Our support services can help you find family, access records, or with any issues that stem from being in care as a child. We are independent of any past providers, and do not hold any records ourselves. We are not affiliated with any record-holders or other organisations related to historical child welfare. We can help you: access personalised support and counselling obtain personal records where possible, trace your history and help you understand why you were placed into care connect with other services and s

Weroona was established at Woodford by the Child Welfare Department in 1946. It opened as temporary accommodation for preschool-aged children in 1946. From 1948 it housed 30 boys, aged from 7 to 15 years of age. Most of the residents could not get foster placements because of a shortage of foster homes for their age group. Weroona was destroyed in the December 1957 Blue Mountains bushfires and was rebuilt and reopened in March 1959. By the 1980s Weroona housed teenaged boys, aged 13 to 18. It closed in 1984. Weroona opened as temporary accommodation for preschool-aged children in 1946. From 1948 it housed 30 boys, aged from seven to 15 years of age. Most of the residents could not get foster placements because of a shortage of foster homes for their age group. Weroona was destroyed by bushfire in November 1957, which temporarily increased accommodation pressure at many other children’s homes. A replacement building was opened by the Minister for Child Welfare on 7 March 1959, acc

The Canossian Daughters of Charity is a Catholic order founded in Italy in 1808. They first came to Australian in 1949, and arrived in Darwin in 1970 with the purpose of establishing a residential children’s home – Bakhita Village. They ran the children’s home from 1972 until late December 1974, when it was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy. The Canossian Daughters of Charity continue to operate in Australia and internationally.

Child and Family Services Ballarat (Cafs) came into being in 1998. Previously, it was known as Ballarat Children’s Homes and Family Services. Cafs is a community service organisation that provides a range of programs and services to children, young people and families. The heritage of the organisation dates back to 1865, when the Ballarat District Orphan Asylum was established, amid great concern for the children affected by the rapid social changes of the gold rush era. The Heritage Centre of Child and Family Services Ballarat was established in July 2000, when it was known as the Heritage Support Service. The Heritage Centre was formed to better meet requests for personal information made by past residents of the Orphanage and Children’s Homes, and to provide support for those who chose to seek such information about their childhood and heritage. For many past residents, it is often a highly emotional experience, which may also be a part of a personal journey about identity, belon

Six years ago today, the Australian Parliament issued an apology to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants. Six years is a long time – in Canberra alone, so much has changed since that day in November, 2009. Read More…

The 16/11/2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the National Apology to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants

In 2008, then Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered an apology to the Stolen Generations. Many thought that this would be a momentous step toward reconciliation and a fresh start for Aboriginal Australians. Read More…

This is a photograph showing a group including 13 children, seven young women, and Alice Kitchen in front of St Chrisopher’s Home, Young. This photograph is undated. The date included is an estimate.

Files – Chief Protector of Aborigines is a record series created by the office of the Chief Protector of Aborigines and held at the State Records Office of Western Australia. It contains correspondence received by the Chief Protector of Aborigines on a range of matters, including the management of and admission of children to missions and other institutions, births, deaths, and marriages, police matters, provision of relief and rationing, medical treatment, employment and movement of Aboriginal people, and communication on various topics with the Aborigines Protection Board. Many of the items in this series are titled with the names of the individuals or families that they relate to. Access Items in this series are open access. For access to these records please contact the State Records Office of Western Australia. Records The below document contains a list of items in this series that may be of relevance to Care Leavers. The items are arranged by the Home/Instit

In the past, you might have received our monthly Find & Connect web resource newsletters – we distributed these monthly during the first phase of our project. Read More…

Download a PDF version of the Find & Connect Image policy (147kb PDF). Objective Scope Rationale Policy Feedback, takedown and complaints Appendices Review due by: June 30, 2018 Version: 2.0 Policy Steward: Find & Connect web resource Program Manager Approved on: January 30, 2017 Effective date: January 30, 2017 Policy Approver: Program Operational and Research Team (PORT) Status: Published Objective The Find & Connect web resource aims to facilitate access to r

Download a PDF version of the Find & Connect Language Policy (137kb PDF). Objective Scope Rationale Policy Feedback, takedown and complaints Appendices Review due by: June 30, 2018 Version: 1.0 Policy Steward: Find & Connect web resource Program Manager Approved on: August 11, 2017 Effective date: August 11, 2017 Policy Approver: Program Operational and Research Team (PORT) Status: Published Objective The Find & Connect web resource aims to facilitate ac