Records of Jigsaw [Victoria]

Records of Jigsaw is a collection of records from the Victorian branch of the adoption support agency, Jigsaw, held by the University of Melbourne Archives. Jigsaw Victoria, also known as the Adoptees Liberty Movement Association, was established in the 1970s and advocated for people who had been involved in adoptions to be able to access information about their experience. Its resulted in changes to the Adoption Act to enable adoptees to access their birth records. Records of Jigsaw include administrative files relating to Jigsaw’s organisation and advocacy work, as well as client files and enquiry books for people who contacted or interacted with Jigsaw.

Access Conditions

Many records in this collection are open access, however records containing personal or sensitive information are restricted for 75 years, and can only be accessed by the people mentioned in the records and their family. For access to these records please contact University of Melbourne Archives.

Records

Client Files in the Records of Jigsaw contains information about adoptees, adoptive families, and birth-mothers of adoptees who had interactions with Jigsaw. They include: client index cards containing personal details of birth-mothers and adoptees; completed responses to the contact register questionnaire; a non-contact register of birth-mothers who did not want to make contact with their adopted child; a ‘Found’ file containing completed contact register questionnaires, photographs, and copies of birth certificates; and a list of names organised by date of birth ranging from 1919 to 1972.

Enquiry Books in the Records of Jigsaw include exercise books containing notes from enquiries of clients seeking family, and copies of public notices placed in newspapers from adoptees and birth mothers seeking contact. There is also a cross-reference books, which includes dates of birth ranging from 1931 to 1967.

Administrative Files in the Records of Jigsaw include minutes of meetings, the Jigsaw constitution articles, committee and membership lists, correspondence files, financial records, conference papers and programs, Jigsaw newsletters, news clippings, and other external publications.

For more details about these records please see the University of Melbourne listing.