Find & Connect Support Services and Life Stories DVD launch
A new national network of support services for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants was launched by Jenny Macklin, the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, at Open Place in Victoria on Friday 17 August 2012.
The new national Find & Connect services will deliver:
• personalised support and counselling;
• assistance to obtain records, shed new light on personal histories and reconnect with family where possible; and
• connection and referral to other services such as aged care, health, housing and dental services.
Care Leavers can access the support services via a new hotline number 1800 16 11 09.
The launch included speeches by Former Democrat Senator Andrew Murray; Caroline Carroll, the Chair of the Alliance for Forgotten Australians (AFA); and Jim Luthy, the President of CLAN. Forgotten Australians from around the country attended the launch as well as representatives from the Child Migrants Trust, the Find & Connect support services and the web resource.
Minister Macklin also launched a new DVD produced by the Alliance for Forgotten Australians (AFA), titled ‘Life Stories’ which tells the stories of six Australians who grew up in institutional care. The DVD can be viewed online at the AFA website.
Organisations delivering the support services are:
• Open Place – Victoria
• Lotus Place – Queensland
• Wattle Place (Relationships Australia) – New South Wales and the ACT
• Relationships Australia – South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory
• Child Migrants Trust – Nationally
A tender process is currently under way to select a provider in Western Australia with services expected to begin in September.