Forced adoption support services scoping study Daryl Higgins, Pauline Kenny, Reem Sweid and Lucy Ockenden Report for the Department of Social Services by the Australian Institute of Family Studies February 2014

96.1State and territory funded adoption information services

One of the challenges raised by the adoption information services that participated in the consultations was that the physical availability of the records has in some cases been destroyed either by accidental damage or as a result of the archiving policy of the record-keeping agency.

Due to limited available funding for some agencies, untrained staff are having to help clients search for records and information. There were also concerns raised regarding the lack of privacy in adoption information services because multiple people handle the information.

Participants at the workshops explained that currently accessing information is costly and slow, and the process varies across jurisdictions. Accessing records from hospitals and maternity wards can be particularly difficult due to the changes in management/structure/ownership over time. Many records have been lost or destroyed.

Adoption information services endeavour to provide counselling sessions to clients but lack the resources and opportunities to provide counselling sessions in-house. Some services provide a “counselling” session when they deliver records to clients but it is largely an information session on privacy issues rather than a therapeutic service.

97Resources and service delivery

While a common theme was the perceived value of creating a centralised place or streamlined process for accessing records, there were no practical suggestions provided for how to achieve that, given that records are held in diverse places and subject to a range of laws and constraints in divulging personal information.

Stakeholders identified the need for additional resources in order to improve service delivery, including:

caseworkers to provide a consistent and ongoing point of contact for clients, and to be involved in the searching process as much or as little as the client would like;

counselling services once records are obtained (clients need support, ideally face-to-face, to deal with lack of information; if a contact veto has been put in place; how to proceed or even if to proceed; general emotional support; and support further down the track—for example, when an adopted person has a baby);

explicit protocols and consistent application, to remove the perception that there are “gatekeepers” of information who determine which information to pass on and which information to withhold; and

identification of a method to inform relatives if the person they are searching for is deceased.

Stakeholders identified the need for better resources to assist with people seeking adoption information, including:

elimination of fees associated with obtaining and accessing records and information from hospitals, courts and organisations, particularly BDM registries;

clarity around the process for obtaining information, where to access information, and the cost of services and requesting records (including rationale for particular costs);

elimination of costs associated with overseas searching;

establishment of a central repository for all adoption records, which is digitised and accessible;

a central body to coordinate search activities;

a streamlined application process for obtaining information and a single point for verifying an applicant’s identity—for example, one application form could provide access to records from numerous agencies, but particularly BDM registries in each jurisdiction;

training to improve how staff deliver sensitive information—for example, if a contact veto exists;

training for staff that are involved in obtaining records and how best to deliver sensitive information;

more assistance and links with international services;

links are needed between Stolen Generations services and Forgotten Australian services;

a free post-adoption tracing service in every state and territory;

unifying standards and protocols across all jurisdictions;

allowing clients to authorise a person or an agency to advocate on their behalf;

developing an independent agency to help manage and coordinate searching so clients don’t have to personally work with agencies or organisations that are “compromised”;

encouraging people who have attempted to search for information before laws were changed to search again, as there may be further information that was withheld in the past;

public awareness campaigns that inform those affected with information on where they can go for help—for example, posters that advertise available services;

establishing a national advice line with translator services;

providing public and easily accessed resources for clients on what to expect when searching for information;

publishing clear guidelines that state what information is accessible and how to obtain it;

providing clients with counselling and support options at the time they are receiving information; and

digitising records and making better use of technology to improve delays in obtaining information and to free up time for staff to be able to pursue other duties.

Thinking about related areas of service provision, one stakeholder said:

Link Up services have a good model, as they are funded to be able to travel to give information face-to-face. They can walk alongside people, and have the ability to be on the move, including in regional areas. We need to be able to be more accessible.

97.1Search and contact services

Participants in the consultations expressed that some services are dismissive of people’s experiences of forced adoption. Services are currently operating at capacity and as a result waitlists for access to search and contact services are long.

Service needs identified by stakeholders relate to resources, funding, information, training and referral pathways, as summarised below.

98Resources and service delivery

Provide appropriate psychological and emotional counselling so agencies can deliver sensitive information face-to-face, such as if a veto has been put in place.

Provide clients with access to counselling before, during and after connection.

Provide access to therapeutic interventions that are accessible and flexible to the individual needs of clients.

Increase capacity of search and contact support workers to reduce waitlist pressure.

Offer an independent mediator, who works on an ongoing basis with both the adopted person and mother. The mediator does not share information without consent, can determine how fast or how slow to take each process and helps to facilitate a proper and sustained relationship.

Increase capacity to be able to provide support services from the beginning of the journey, and continue to provide ongoing support after contact has been made between the two parties.

Provide support for other family members, including siblings and extended family.

Need a centralised location for search facilities.

Need an online central database for automatically detecting matches.

99Funding

Funding so services can hire extra search and support workers to decrease waitlist times.

Ongoing government funding so agencies can use their time more productively, rather than spending time on funding applications.

Funding to provide services to clients who live in regional areas or are searching for family members in regional areas, interstate or overseas.

100Access to information

A national website or search process that accommodates the possibility of overseas involvement.

Access to electoral rolls nationwide such as the National Contact Register provided in the United Kingdom.

Each state should establish a special search service, which has access to information that isn’t available to people in the public domain. A nominated person in Medicare or Centrelink could coordinate this. Services and government agencies could contact the nominated person, provide the authority that they are entitled to the information, and the nominated person could forward it on without having to know the content.

Many stakeholders were adamant about the need to lobby for and facilitate access to electoral rolls, both past and present, to assist in the search of relatives. Recent changes to government policy around access of the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) was seen as a significant barrier to the capacity of agencies to help clients search for family. For information about the variety of search tools used, and the centrality of AEC access, see Attachment K. It should be noted that stakeholders did not seem to be aware of the reasons for the restrictions in access (i.e., the need for AEC to be consistent with their legislative requirements and privacy constraints), and the difficiulties in achieving change in this area. Stakeholders gave some examples of how politicians could access AEC rolls to send out birthday greetings to constituents, but even in the context of a national apology, they couldn’t access AEC rolls needed for family searching. Stakeholders also talked about the importance of developing standards for searching, and promulgating good practice for intermediatries (e.g., in the process and wording of letters of approach when contacting a potential family member).

Develop a national website with a national register of people who want contact with their families, current laws and the contact information for specialised counselling services and support groups.

101Training and research

Further research and evaluation on best practice when facilitating meetings between parties involved—for example, what makes for successful contact.

Establish best practice guidelines for use of appropriate terminology—for example, some clients prefer “connection” to “reunion”.

Further research on best practice support for late-discovery adopted persons.

102Service-system and referral pathway

Expand the Find & Connect service to include people affected by forced adoptions but create a perception of separation. There are huge service overlaps, in terms of issues and service needs, with Forgotten Australians and those affected by forced adoption.