Former Victorian State Wards
Forgotten Australians
Victorian Former Wards of the State are people who were removed from their families and placed in government or church operated orphanages, children's homes or foster care as children. The Victorian government took legal responsibility for their care.
There is also another large group of children who were not made wards of state and were placed in non-government children’s homes. Children were also placed in voluntary or privately run homes.
The Victorian Government estimates that more than 100,000 children were placed in institutional or foster care in Victoria between 1928 and 2003 and over half of these children were made wards of the State.
The Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee 2004, Forgotten Australians, a report on Australians who experienced institutional or out-of-home care as children, described may children as having experienced abuse or neglect when in care and continuing to be affected by these experiences into their adult life.
A large number of Victorian State Wards have experienced wardship that has had a profound influence on their health, well-being and disconnection from their families.
For many reasons, people want to find out more about their own or their family members' experience as a Victorian State Ward.
How Family Information Network and Discovery (FIND) can help
- Provide access to records and documents.
- Assist former wards of state or their family members locate and make contact with each other.
- Work with other agencies that provide services to people who have been in out-of-home care, including those providing service for Indigenous Australians to assist you.
- Provide counseling and support when accessing files or making contact with family members.
Access to your files
State Government run homes and agencies involved in providing care to Victorian wards of state often created files about individuals. Information contained in these records can be accessed under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
The State Government holds records of government run homes. In addition, there may be records available from the non-government homes which often created files. These records can be accessed by applying to the agency concerned and are released in accordance with the principles of the Victorian Information Privacy Act 2000. A directory of where records are held is available at the Pathways Victoria website.
Making contact with family members
People placed in state care have lost contact with their family. FIND can assist you to discover information that may assist your family members to re-establish contact. The Department of Human Services (DHS) funded service Open Place provides support services to all Victorian Forgotten Australians regardless of where they currently reside in Australia. Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN), a national organisation, also provides support.
A Victorian State Ward (Forgotten Australian) accesses his records
A 63-year old former Ward of State initially applied for wardship information from FIND. As a result of receiving his records he discovered he had two older siblings, a brother and a sister, one of whom may have been adopted.
Contact Information
Family Information Network and Discovery (FIND)
Level 20
570 Bourke Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 8608 5700 or
Local call: 1300 769 926
