Forgotten Australians facts for kids
Forgotten Australians is a name sometimes used for about 500,000 children and young people in Australia during the 1900s. These children grew up in places like orphanages, children's homes, or foster care, instead of with their own families. The Australian Senate, which is part of Australia's government, used this name in a report about children in care from 2003 to 2004.
Many children entered care because their families were very poor or had serious problems. Back then, there wasn't much help for families in trouble. Large homes run by the government or other groups were common places for children to live. Sometimes, children from these homes would stay with foster families for short times, like on weekends or holidays. From the 1950s, there was a shift towards smaller group homes. By the 1970s, more children started living with foster families or relatives instead of in big institutions.
Some Australian state governments have created programs to help adults who were treated badly while in care. In 2009, the Australian government officially said sorry to people who grew up in these systems. This included children who had moved to Australia from other countries. The apology was given by the Prime Minister at the time, Kevin Rudd. Sadly, many children in care were neglected or treated poorly, both physically and emotionally.
Who are the Forgotten Australians?
The people called Forgotten Australians are adults who survived growing up in 'out-of-home' care. This means they lived away from their families in places like children's homes or foster care. This happened because of government policies during the 20th century. Another common name for them is 'Care Leavers'. You might also hear them called 'homies', 'state wards', or 'wardies'.
Most of these children were not orphans. Many still had one or both parents alive, or other relatives. Children stayed in institutions or foster care for different lengths of time. Most entered care when they were very young. Some spent their entire childhood and teenage years in an orphanage or children's home.
