What is a Forgotten Australian?
The term “Forgotten Australians” refers to the more than 500,000 people between the ages of 30 to quite elderly, who are survivors of institutional care. As late as the 1970’s, young children were sequestered in institutions as a form of out-of-home care by the Australian governments of the time. These children were often deprived of what we, today, would consider a “normal” and happy childhood.
There are many reasons why children were placed into institutional care, mostly because of being orphaned, or due to family poverty or dysfunction. Today - it is quite probable that there are groups and organisations within Australia which have volunteers who identify as Forgotten Australians. Some will find it difficult to talk about their experiences in institutional care, however as time goes by these “forgotten” children – now adults – are slowly, beginning to feel safe enough to tell their stories.
The memories and experiences of this group of people can be graphic and disturbing accounts of neglect, exploitation and abuse – particularly emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Many of the adults who survived institutional care have a lingering distrust of people and some will demonstrate various forms of mental illness. It can, however, be hard to know who these adults are given that it is still rare for them to talk about these experiences. All people regardless of whether they identify as a Forgotten Australian (or any other term for the institutional care they received as a child) will need understanding and support to help them acknowledge their experiences and talk about them.
Some Forgotten Australians take on volunteer work as a way of alleviating the shame and trauma of their past. Volunteering provides all people with opportunities to make a difference; to find purpose and meaning as well as feel a sense of belonging. For Forgotten Australians, the value of being able to contribute through meaningful voluntary work, can be a healing and stabilizing influence and can even assist them to acknowledge their past and talk about their experiences.
For some Forgotten Australians, there is a lingering sense of grief for the loss of their identity and of family. It was common for children to have their names changed to suit the institutions “caring” for them. Some were lied to about the whereabouts of birth family – often told their parents were dead when in fact they were not. There are numerous accounts of children who received terrible health care - if at all. All these disempowering experiences can lead a person to feel very isolated.
Volunteering can offer this group a sense of purpose or identity. It may also provide a sense of “family” where they feel they belong, are safe and welcome. There are Forgotten Australians who may have mental health issues, a history of self-harm, or are perhaps, insecure and generally distrustful or fearful of authority. Some may come across as “weird” or “eccentric” in some of their behaviours. It is important to remember that these people are survivors of trauma.
Acknowledging a Forgotten Australian who wants to volunteer.
If you, as a volunteer coordinator are made aware of a prospective or serving volunteer who identifies as a Forgotten Australian, here are some tips to help you help them, in their volunteer journey.
1) Believe their story. One of the critical reasons that many Forgotten Australians do not divulge their past experiences is because people tend not to believe them. There is may also be an assumption that those who present with mental illness could be “stretching” the truth when they talk of these experiences. A critical factor in assisting a prospective volunteer and gaining their trust is to listen and believe what they are telling you. The facts regarding this period in Australia’s history are coming to light through supportive agencies such as the Alliance for Forgotten Australians and much of what is being recalled by those who have lived in institutional care is indeed what happened.
2) Be aware of power issues. A fear of authority can manifest in different ways in different people of course! However, those who identify as Forgotten Australian’s will demonstrate a higher level of distrust, frustration, fear and may be aggressively reactive against perceived ‘Authority’. It is wise to acknowledge that the Forgotten Australian volunteer wants to “help” but will feel helpless if the volunteer-involving organisation appears “too big”, “too powerful” and “too impersonal”. The key here is to create a sense of trust and “family” within the team in which they volunteer. Keep the lines of communication open and be very patient. The goal is to assist a volunteer to feel supported and welcome and above all valued and appreciated. Small teams of volunteers with structured routines and strong camaraderie will be very helpful for this volunteer.
3) Show respect. The same criteria for privacy, confidentiality and non-victimisation needs to be applied to survivors of institutional abuse as with any other prospective volunteer.
4) Identify strengths. We all have talents and strengths. Survivors of traumatic experiences develop quite efficient coping mechanisms that on the surface, may appear to be “challenging” or “eccentric” behaviours at times. Take the time to ensure the volunteering role matches with the interests, abilities and identified skills of the person. Not all people who want to volunteer with your group or organisation will be suitable; however, there are creative ways of engaging people by thinking ‘outside the box’ and coming up with alternative volunteering opportunities which fit the person rather than always trying to fit people to standard roles. Remember that the impact on the Forgotten Australian volunteers’ healing and self-esteem could be amazing, especially if they are applying their personal talents and skills to purposeful, meaningful voluntary work.
5) Involve families. A key strategy is to allow a Forgotten Australian volunteer to involve their families in their ongoing volunteering journey. Listen, be compassionate, show respect and at all times practise confidentiality and build trust. Establish clear professional boundaries that are fair and reasonable and ensure that families and the volunteer can speak to someone they trust about their concerns.
6 Establishing identity. Many Forgotten Australians had their birth papers misplaced, destroyed or lost. Some do not even know their birth name and had it arbitrarily changed by the institution. This can present enormous challenges for both the volunteer and the volunteer involving group, particularly for obtaining a Police check or Working with children Check. It would be useful in this instance to work with the Alliance for Forgotten Australians or other suitable supportive agency to assist the volunteer establish their birth identity if they are willing to do so.
7) Go easy on physical contact. Some people who identify as Forgotten Australians may fear too much physical contact! They may associate it with physical and sexual abuse received, as a child, from ‘carer’s’ and others whilst in institutional care. It can be a discomforting experience for some people regardless of their past experiences, to be in groups who are overly familiar or “huggy/cuddly” so do be aware of this. Practise professional boundaries at all times with regard to physical touch. Better to show kindness and compassion with professional restraint than make a volunteer feel uncomfortable. Take your cue from the person on this, but remain vigilant about personal space - including your own and others - and set clear boundaries on what is appropriate physical contact and what is not.
8) Offer alternative options for disclosing personal histories. It can be very difficult to be a volunteer coordinator managing all the challenges and limitations of the position at the best of times. It becomes much harder when Forgotten Australian volunteers disclose very personal and often disturbing childhood memories of their time in institutional care. Practice self-care as a professional person. If you feel you are out of your depth when hearing these stories, admit this to the volunteer, then offer them alternative options to help them to tell their stories. Have on hand, an up to date list of organisations, counsellors, social workers and allied health professionals who will be better equipped to help both yourself and a Forgotten Australian volunteer. Reassure the volunteer you are in no way “fobbing them off” but that you simply need more qualified support to help them on the road to recovering from their experiences. Set boundaries on your personal spaces outside of your work with volunteers and maintain a courteous and compassionate but professional distance whenever possible. Remember that its okay to say “yes!” but its equally okay to say “no!” too, particularly if a situation is beyond your professional capacity and experience.
The above would be required in instances where a prospective or serving volunteer discloses that they are a Forgotten Australian. Some people might use other terms but their experiences could be similarly traumatic, requiring patience and understanding. There will be volunteers who never disclose their childhood experiences in institutionalised care. There will be some – albeit rare – who remember their time in care as being a positive experience. As with all volunteers – it is important to manage them with supportive and inclusive processes, including a volunteering structure that provides everyone with a sense of purpose, worth and dignity. The National Standards for involving volunteers is a good place to start to get these processes and structure right for all volunteers regardless of their background and personal histories.
There are many resources available via the following links which will provide further information on Forgotten Australians and the challenges they face. This blog post was written with the assistance of a booklet produced by the Alliance for Forgotten Australians entitled “Forgotten Australians: Supporting survivors of childhood institutional care in Australia”. A PDF version of this booklet can be downloaded here.
Other organisations working to assist Forgotten Australians include the following:
Vanish: An organisation assisting people who were in Victorian institutions. Vanish is based in Melbourne and funded by the Victorian Dept. of Human Services.
Indigenous family history searches can be started from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies site.
Broken Rites: This organisation assists survivors of church-related sexual abuse.
Families Australia: This is an independent, not-for-profit organisation serving as a peak advocacy body for Australian families.
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