Mater Misericordiae Hospital
The Obstetric Medical Records of the Mater Misericordiae Hospital give information about the birth mother and the baby, including biographical information such as name, date of birth and address of mother; father's name, if known; baby's birth details; and clinical information such as treatment given, etc. For the years 1952-1977, the mother and baby notes are kept in the same folder, while from 1977-82 they are kept as separate records.
Access to information relating to adoption cases is restricted to the adoptee and the birth parents. Requests for information relating to adoption cases are handled in accordance with the Adoption Act 2000. Requests must be made in writing, and the applicant must include certain information with their application before it can be processed. Details of what information is required can be obtained from the Medical Records Manager at the Hospital. Other requests for information will be treated in accordance with principles of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPAA). Information will only be released to the person to whom it relates.
Whilst the records held include those for babies who were adopted, they are not indexed or filed separately. Many of the young women from Our Lady of Mercy Home, Waitara gave birth at the Mater Hospital. In these cases, their address is generally given as Our Lady of Mercy Home, Waitara.
The Mercy Family Centre holds records relating to Our Lady of Mercy Home, Waitara (formerly known as the Waitara Foundling Home, and now known as the Mercy Family Centre).
Quantity: 28360 records (approx)
Sources used to compile this entry: Thinee, Kristy and Bradford, Tracy, Connecting Kin: Guide to Records, A guide to help people separated from their families search for their records [completed in 1998], New South Wales Department of Community Services, Sydney, New South Wales, 1998, https://clan.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/connectkin_guide.pdf.
Prepared by: Melissa Downing
Created: 10 August 2011, Last modified: 17 November 2014
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/nsw/biogs/NE00792b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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