Assistance for former child migrants

Objective

Provide practical support and assistance to former child migrants who arrived in Australia post-World War II.

Description

Approximately 6000 children were sent to Australia from child-care institutions in the United Kingdom and Malta throughout the 20th century, with 3000 children arriving in the post-war period between 1945 and 1970. The children were placed in charitable and religious institutions in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

Funding was provided by the Australian Government in 2007–08 to help former child migrants trace family members and receive counselling for reunion visits.

Performance

During 2007–08, the Child Migrants Trust provided tracing and counselling services to 845 clients, 136 of whom were new clients. A total of 454 clients received post-reunion support in 2007–08. Total expenditure for the year was $150 000.

Table 84: Assistance for former child migrants—performance information

Measures	Results
Quality
Tracing assistance and counselling referrals provided to all eligible clients in accordance with the terms of the contract	Contract with Child Migrants Trust administered satisfactorily. The suite of services provided (counselling, tracing assistance and post-reunion support) addressed needs identified for this client group.