Support Services | Find and Connect

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 support networks that may assist you
reconnect with family, where possible

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) directs you to the Find & Connect Support Service in your state or territory Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm, or you can email us below.

If you need urgent help, Lifeline operates a 24-hour telephone counselling service. 13 11 14 (freecall).

Find & Connect will be closed over xmas. To see when the support service in your state or territory, or the web resource office will be open, please refer to: 2024 Christmas Closures

Contact Find & Connect

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If you have an enquiry, please select the category related to your query. This category is solely for feedback regarding Find & Connect.

THIS EMAIL DOES NOT GO TO ANY INSTITUTIONS OR RECORD HOLDERS. IT GOES TO FIND & CONNECT.

Find & Connect was developed to help people who were in out of home care between 1920 and 1990 understand more about their past and about the historical context of child welfare in Australia. We assist people who spent time in an orphanage or children’s home in Australia and their families.

If you are trying to contact an organisation, try the 'More info' or 'Records' tab

To contact a Forced Adoption Support Service in your state or territory call 1800 21 03 13, or email the support service in your state.

Find information on adoption records.

If you are searching for a family member and were not in care, or are not a direct family member of a person who was in care, you can try our Finding Family section.

Unfortunately we cannot assist with your family history research. You may find our Family History page useful.

THIS EMAIL DOES NOT GO TO A HOSPITAL OR INSTITUTION. IT GOES TO FIND & CONNECT. WE DO NOT HOLD ANY RECORDS.

Find & Connect assists people who spent time in an orphanage or children’s home in Australia.

If you are trying to contact an organisation, try the 'More info' or 'Records' tab

If you are searching for a family member and were not in care, or are not a direct family member of a person who was in care, you can try our Finding Family section.

Unfortunately we cannot assist with your family history research. You may find our Family History page useful.

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Find & Connect Support Services in Your State or Territory

Further Services

There are specialised support organisations, who provide support outside of the Find & Connect program, that may also be helpful to you.

Click here for further support services

Find & Connect Support Service ACT

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

The support service will help you to:

access personalised support and counselling
where possible, obtain your personal records, trace your history and understand why you were placed into care
connect with other services and support networks that may assist you at this time in your life
reconnect with family, where possible

Address: 15 Napier Close, Deakin, ACT 2600
Website: https://racr.org.au/services/find-connect/
Telephone: 02 6122 7100

Find & Connect Support Service NSW – Wattle Place

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

Wattle Place is a service to support those people who grew up in orphanages, children’s Homes, institutions and foster homes in NSW from the 1920s to the 1990s, no matter where they live.

It provides

Counselling
Information and referrals to health, legal and family support services
A drop-in centre
Lifeskills workshops
Social activities and events
Newsletters
Support for family reunions
Access to records
Help for education and training

Address: 67 High Street, Harris Park, NSW 2150
Email: wattleplace@ransw.org.au
Website: https://wattleplace.org.au/
Telephone: 1800 663 844

Find & Connect Support Service NT – Relationships Australia NT

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

The support service will help you to:

access personalised support and counselling
where possible, obtain your personal records, trace your history and understand why you were placed into care
connect with other services and support networks that may assist you at this time in your life
reconnect with family, where possible

Website: https://nt.relationships.org.au/services/find-and-connect-support-services/

Darwin office:
Address: 5 Shepherd Street, Darwin, 0800
Email: rantreception@ra-nt.org.au
Telephone: 08 8923 4999

Alice Springs office:
Address: 4/11 Railway Terrace, Alice Springs, 0870
Email: receptionas@ra-nt.org.au
Telephone: 08 8950 4100

Find & Connect Support Service Qld – Lotus Place

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

Lotus Place is the Support Service for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants in Queensland. Lotus Place will help you to:

access personalised support and counselling
where possible, obtain your personal records, trace your history and understand why you were placed into care
connect with other services and support networks that may assist you at this time in your life
reconnect with family, where possible

Address: 46 Cleveland Street, Stones Corner, QLD 4101
Website: www.lotusplace.org.au
Email: lotus@micahprojects.org.au
Telephone: 07 3347 8500

Find & Connect Support Service SA – Elm Place

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

Elm Place offers services that respond to people whose lives have been affected by being in out-of-home care when they were children and works alongside the Find & Connect Support Service. Find & Connect offers support to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants who were in care in South Australia prior to 1989, including foster care, orphanage care, and other State or church based institutions. Elm Place recognises that people have different experiences of their time in care and the service is respectful of people’s varying needs and issues.

Elm Place provides assistance with:

Accessing your records
Find & Connect Support Services
Searching for and possibly reconnecting with family
Access and information to other relevant community services and programs such as health services, employment services and education support
Housing and financial management
Counselling and therapeutic services
Life skills
Parenting skills development
Identity and relationships
A friendly, welcoming place to drop in for support.

Elm Place has a drop in area, a safe place clients can use, to relax, meet other people, have access to a computer or just read the paper. The drop in area is open from Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm

Telephone: 08 8419 2042
Address: 151 South Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
Website: https://elmplace.org.au/

Find & Connect Support Service Tasmania

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

The Find & Connect Support Service in Tasmania helps Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants to trace their history and understand the reason they were placed into care, reconnect with family where possible and to access counselling and other supports.

Email: enquiries@reltas.com.au
Website: http://www.tas.relationships.org.au/services/find-and-connect
Telephone: 1300 364 277

Hobart
Address: 20 Clare Street, New Town, TAS 7008

Launceston
Address: 6 Paterson Street, Launceston, TAS 7250
Postal Address: PO Box 968, Launceston TAS 7250

Find & Connect Support Service Vic – Open Place

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

Open Place is the support service for Forgotten Australians in Victoria. It provides personal support, help with records and family searches, counselling, social activities, reunions, support groups, and opportunities to learn new skills.

Address: Suite 1 / 8 Bromham Place, Richmond, VIC 3121
Email: info@openplace.org.au
Website: http://www.openplace.org.au
Telephone: 1800 779 379

Find & Connect Support Service WA – Lanterns House

1800 16 11 09 (freecall) – Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

Lanterns House is specifically equipped to provide support and assistance to people who want to:

obtain records of their time in ‘care’
trace their family
access individual counselling and group support
participate in social activities or simply drop in for a cuppa and a chat
connect with other service and support organisations that may be able to help them at this time in their lives.

Address: 165 Great Eastern Highway, Belmont, WA 6104
Email: lanterns@relationshipswa.org.au
Website: https://www.relationshipswa.org.au/en/services/find-and-connect
Telephone: 08 6164 0240

National Services

– Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN)

The Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) offers support to individuals who have been a State Ward, Home child or foster child in Australia, or whose parents or other family members have had this experience. CLAN can help you to obtain your ward file or get information about your Home and you may advertise at no cost in the newsletter to help locate lost family members, or people you remember from your Home and would like to contact.

Telephone: 1800 008 774
Email: support@clan.org.au
Website: http://www.clan.org.au/

– Child Migrants Trust (CMT)

The Child Migrants Trust has offices in Melbourne and in Perth and provides a range of social work services to former British child migrants all over Australia, including counselling and support with family reunions. The Child Migrants Trust also provides help with information, advice and family research to former British child migrants and their families. The Child Migrants Trust is an international organisation with offices in Australia and the UK, and works with former child migrants living in Australia and other countries.

Telephone: 1800 04 05 09
Website: www.childmigrantstrust.com (a contact form is provided on the website).