DOCUMENT 7
Information for Former Catholic Child
Migrants to Australia
HOW WE
CAN HELP
WITH FAMILY
SEARCH
- If you need us to help you look for family and
know which church agency looked after you in England, Wales or
Scotland, please contact that agency, from the list of addresses
attached. You can also contact these agencies for local knowledge
of homes and records in their areas.
- If you came from England, Wales or Scotland and
were looked after by the Sisters of Nazareth or do not know who
looked after you, please contact:Mary Gandy or Michael
LyonsCatholic Child Welfare CouncilSt Joseph's CentreWatford WayHendon London
NW4 4TYTel and Fax: 0181 203 6323
- If you came from Northern Ireland, please contact:Patricia
McGrogan or Sister NoeleenFamily Care Society511 Ormeau RoadBelfast
BT7 3GSTel: 01232 691133Fax: 01232 649849
WHO WE
ARE AND
WHAT WE
DO:The Catholic Child Welfare
Council (CCWC) is a federation of Catholic Children's Societies,
other diocesan caring agencies and some religious congregations
providing social care services for children and families in need,
in the UK.Records of child migrants: About 1,250 child
migrants went to Australia from Catholic children's homes in England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Between 1938 to 1963. CCWC
has a central record for many, but not all, of the Catholic child
migrants to Australia, but the information contained there is
often very scanty. Most children were sent either by the diocesan
child care agencies or by religious orders, particularly the sisters
of Nazareth. A few were sent at the request of their families.
Some were recruited by Australian institutions in direct contact
with Catholic children's homes in England; some of these children
became known to CCWC later. The Catholic agencies in the UK provide
an information service for former child migrants and in recent
years many have come forward to seek help or informationSearching
for family: Making contact with family in the UK is a major
priority for most former child migrants and we assist with this
in whatever way we can. Many have already found mother, brothers
and sisters or other family and have visited them. However, for
others it will simply prove impossible to find any family at all,
and this can be very hard to accept. Perhaps even harder are the
cases where a mother or family members are found, who turn out
to be unwilling to open up any contact, or where the kinship is
not even acknowledged. It is therefore important to be prepared
for disappointments.If you were in the care of one of the diocesan
children's societies here, that agency will take on the case,
working with both its own records and others to try to discover
living family, or, if this proves impossible, as much information
about your background as possible. If you came straight to Australia
from a children's home or orphanage run by one of the religious
orders here (normally the Sisters of Nazareth) or if we cannot
identify you as having been in the care of a diocesan agency,
then we (CCWC) will undertake the search.If you want us to take
on a case, please write to CCWC or the Catholic Family Care Society
(NI) in the first instance (details below), unless you are sure
that you were in the care of one of the diocesan agencies, in
which case write to that agency. Either you or an agency in Australia
can write.The Catholic Migrant Centre in Perth holds some records,
either you or we need to contact Sister Tania there to get any
information they hold, though again this may not tell you much.
Also, we try not to duplicate work which has been done already,
so if you have had work done by the Child Migrant Trust (which
offers an independent family search service), or any other agency
please tell us. Catholic agencies are happy to co-operate with
other professional agencies which make contact on your behalf.Unfortunately
it is rarely easy to make any family connections. It can take
a long time and progress may be slow. The records often give scanty
information and the research work that may eventually lead to
the family will take months or maybe even years. Even when family
links have been found, it may take time for us to counsel and
prepare the family members here. Even if it is not possible to
locate living family members, we may be able to help you to locate
graves.To summarise: We co-operate fully in whatever ways
we can over records, locating family, counselling, hospitality
and general support. Unfortunately we cannot provide financial
assistance. If there is any way in which you think we can help
you, do ask.
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