Alicia Payne MP
Member for Canberra
MEDIA RELEASE
FUNDING TO ACT FIND AND CONNECT SERVICE
19 August 2025
The Albanese Labor Government is investing an additional $940,000 in the Find and Connect Support Services program, strengthening its commitment to support Forgotten Australians, Care Leavers and Former Child Migrants.
Last week, funding was provided to Relationships Australia Wattle Place, which runs programs in the ACT and in NSW and is a service to support those people who grew up in orphanages, children’s Homes, institutions and foster homes in NSW from the 1920s to the 1990s, no matter where they live.
In the ACT, Wattle Place runs critical programs access personalised support and counselling, helps people, where possible, to obtain their personal records, trace their history and understand why they were placed into care, and connect with service and support networks that may help them to reconnect with family.
The Find and Connect Support Services program delivers a range of targeted, trauma-informed services to individuals who were placed in children’s homes, orphanages, and other forms of out-of-home ‘care’ between the 1920s and 1990s.
It has helped over 21,000 individuals access services like specialist counselling, referral services, peer support, education, group sessions, and social support programs.
Find and Connect services play a vital role in assisting people to access their historical records to reconnect with family, to apply for the National Redress Scheme for Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, or state and territory government redress schemes.
Building on the government’s annual commitment of $5 million to the program, this additional funding will allow providers across Australia to meet increasing demands for services and advocacy for people affected by their time in out-of-home and institutional ‘care’.
To access Find and Connect Support Services, you can call 1800 16 11 09 or visit the Find and Connect Web Resource.
Quotes Attributable to Alicia Payne MP, Federal Member for Canberra
“The trauma experienced by many children who were in the care of the State between the 1920s and 1990s has been again highlighted through the Royal Commission. Organisations like Wattle Place provide important trauma informed support services to these survivors, helping them to connect with family and their history, and receive counselling. For some, this will be the first time they are able to connect with members of their own family.”
“I’m proud that our Government is working to support these survivors through the Find and Connect Support Services Program.”