Former Prime Minister and Member for Griffith, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, has launched the new Find and Connect support service in Queensland at a gathering of Forgotten Australians and former British Child Migrants at Lotus Place in South Brisbane. (November 16 saw the third anniversary of the National Apology made by Mr. Rudd on behalf of the Australian people.)
The Find and Connect support service, launched nationally in August this year, means Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants now have access to more personal support through the Australian Government’s new Find and Connect support service, operating in Queensland from Lotus Place.
Karyn Walsh, Coordinator of Micah Projects, said Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants can dial 1800 16 11 09 to get either telephone or face-to-face support from specialist staff as they search for information about their time in institutions, and trace their identities and lost families.
The 1800 number was chosen to remind people of the date on which the Australian Government delivered the National Apology.
Support from the Lotus Place Find and Connect support service will include help with record searches, specialist counselling, referral to other services and follow-up support, including peer and social support.
The national Find and Connect support service complements other measures to help Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants locate their personal files, piece together their past and, where possible, reunite with family members.
This includes the Find and Connect web resource, www.findandconnect.gov.au, a valuable resource that contains information about institutions, orphanages and children’s Homes, to help Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants start searching for records.
The Queensland government and Australian government fund Lotus Place to provide a range of services for Forgotten Australians and former British Child Migrants in Queensland, including Find and Connect. Lotus Place can be contacted on 1800 035 588 or (07) 3055 8500.
Photo: Katie Bennett
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