For People Affected by Past Forced Adoption Practices

For People Affected by Past Forced Adoption Practices

SUPPORT SERVICES AVAILABLE
for people affected by past forced adoption practices

Thousands of Australian families have been affected by the traumatic separation of mothers from babies which occurred during the period of the 1950’s to at least the mid 1970’s.

During this era, unwed and vulnerable women were coerced and forced by their parents, hospitals, churches, professionals and the government into signing forms to have their babies adopted.

This resulted in lifelong impacts on the mothers, fathers and their adopted sons and daughters.

In 2012 Campbell Newman delivered an apology on behalf of the Queensland Government saying “This legislative assembly offers its unreserved and sincere apology to those families forcibly and unlawfully broken apart by these past practices and we acknowledge that your pain and suffering continues”. In 2013 Prime Minister Julia Gillard also delivered a national apology for past forced adoption practices and announced funding for forced adoption support services. In Queensland these services are offered by Jigsaw Queensland.

Many of the mothers are now older women and may still have kept this experience a secret because of the shame and guilt they carry.  We hope that the Older Women’s Network will inform their members of the availability of support services especially as some of their members and /or their families would have been affected and may not be aware of the support available.  Jigsaw Qld can also offer presentations to QWN groups that meet in Brisbane or near Brisbane.

Jigsaw and the Qld State Library recently produced a film (Without our Consent: A Queensland Story. that may be of interest to your members.  To access the film on a laptop or PC (not a phone or tablet) go to:

http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=slq_alma21226543510002061&context=L&vid=SLQ&search_scope=SLQ&tab=slq&lang=en_US

Then click:  View the oral history

For information or support: Phone Jigsaw Qld on 1800 21 03 12 (from within Qld) or 07 3358 6666 or see our website on https://www.jigsawqueensland.com/about