There’s only one more week to apply for a Records Access Documentation (RAD) Grant!
Applications close at 9am on Monday the 22nd October. You can submit any time up until then.
Not-for-profit organisations that hold or have created records about children who lived in “care” between 1920 and 1989 can apply. You can check if your organisation is eligible here: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/resources/radgrants/guidelines/#5
The grants are to improve access to records for people who spent time in out-of-home “care”. You can see successful projects from the previous round here: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/resources/radgrants/previous-successful-applicants
Improving access to records has benefits both for the person seeking information about their childhood, and for the organisation that may (or may not be able to) provide this information.
For the person trying to find out about their life in “care”, they may discover important medical information about themselves, find photographs of their childhood or other items that may jog memories, or learn something about their family and friends.
Providing supported access can also reduce the trauma and stress that accessing records can cause. Where records are scant or non-existent, the person searching for information will be able to find out without going through a long and difficult process.
For organisations providing records, time spent searching for records can be greatly reduced; records that may not have been indexed and were not available can be sorted and catalogued, and the time between requests and provision of records can be greatly reduced, allowing staff to spend more time on other areas of work.
Providing supported access and having a good understanding of the records that are held by the organisation makes for a much better relationship between the person searching for their records and the organisation that holds the records. This significantly reduces stress both for the person searching for the records, and the staff that work with records. For more on records access, see Access to Records by Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants (pdf download).
Successful organisations will also attend a workshop to increase their skills and knowledge, and network with other organisations from around Australia. The workshop will also give you the opportunity to report back on your project and get the support of Find & Connect and other organisations.
To apply for a RADGrant, first check out the Guidelines, and the FAQs: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/resources/radgrants
Applications are to be completed online: https://radgrants.smartygrants.com.au/
Applications close at 9am, Monday October 22
