The Overseas Children Scheme (Australian terminology), also known as the Children’s Overseas Reception Board Scheme (British terminology), was a program to evacuate children from Britain to various Commonwealth countries so that they could escape the German bombing during World War Two. A total of 577 children came to Australia as evacuees under this scheme. They…
Juvenile delinquency was a term used to describe the behaviour of children and young people who are committing criminal offences, or thought likely to commit offences, at a young age. This behavior could include vandalism, truancy, stealing, fighting, running away from home or being sexually active. Many children in institutions were labelled as delinquents, or…
Clean break theory provided a basis for many adoptions in the twentieth century. The theory is based on the idea that babies’ characteristics are formed by their environment rather than their genes. There was a widespread belief that a “clean break” was beneficial for the personality development of babies of single mothers, and that they…
Forced adoption (or forced family separation) are the terms now used to describe the practices where many pregnant unwed women (and their partners) were subjected to unauthorised or illegal separation from their children. From the 1950s to the early 1970s, the prevalence of forced adoption in Australia was high. These practices were unethical, immoral and…
The Handicapped Children (Assistance) Assistance Act 1970 provided subsidies for the training and accommodation of people under the age of 21 with disabilities. This provided much needed funds to hostels for children with disabilities.
Child evacuees were removed from their homes in Britain during World War Two in order to escape the air raids. As well as sending children to safer rural locations in Britain, around 3000 children were sent to Commonwealth countries. These evacuations were administered by the Children’s Overseas Reception Board. 577 British children came to Australia…
The Preventive Payment Scheme was designed to prevent children going into residential care by making payments to families undergoing a serious financial crisis. The Commonwealth government funded it. In 1979-80, the Tasmanian State government replaced it with a Family Assistance Scheme which operated similarly. Click here to see the full Find & Connect glossary
The Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices was a Senate Committee Inquiry that began in 2011. The Inquiry resulted from the efforts over many years of mothers who were separated from their children by adoption. The Senate Committee invited interested individuals and organisations to make submissions. It reported in February 2012. The…
Single mothers (also referred to as unmarried mothers) historically often struggled to support their babies and to deal with the social stigma attached to their situation. These women (and their children who were born ‘out of wedlock’) were the targets of various charitable endeavours in Australia from the earliest days of white settlement. Until perhaps…
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) is the national research and collecting institution for information and research about the cultures and lifestyles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, past and present. It holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of print, moving image, sound recordings and photographic materials relating to…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
