Records matter

Former child migrant Michael Smith says it’s never too late to learn more about who you are and where you come from. Mike writes: “My journey started when I was born in September 1945 in a London hospital. My actual birth father was an Irish Marine stationed in the UK during the second world war. “My mother must have been a devoted Catholic as she had me baptised within a month of my birth. My stepfather – my mother’s husband – then arrived on the scene after serving overseas for three and a half years with the Navy. What made it difficult for mum to keep me was the arrival of twins 18 months after my birth. The early years after the war were tough and it was not possible for mum to feed and accommodate three babies under two years of age. Many attempts were made to have me adopted but to no avail. Some of this information only came to light recently, thanks to Natalie at Tuart Place. My initial reason for asking for assistance last year was to trace my baptismal certificate as I believed it would provide more of my early history of where I was in the UK, and who else witnessed this occasion. As It turned out it was one of my aunties. This was one of many documents that has turned up with Natalie’s help. I’d also like to thank Irena Lyczkowska at Pathways in London for arranging to copy and post over a large collection of documents, despite the problem of COVID restrictions in the UK.

Although the letters to and from my mother clearly showed that I was to stay in the UK, I was sent to Western Australia as a child migrant in August 1954. I initially arrived at Castledare, until 1957, and spent the remaining five years at CBAS Tardun, till the end of 1961. I originally wrote to the UK seeking records in 1960 with the help of one of the Brothers at Tardun, but I never did receive a reply to this letter. I am not complaining about coming to Australia, as I now believe I have had better opportunities in this country. However, I should have been able to access to my personal documents much earlier, so I would have known the answers to many of the questions I have had all my life.”

Joseph John Borg is a former child migrant from Malta who was sent to Australia in 1953, aged 12, and lived at Bindoon for five years. Cevrina and Pip were delighted to welcome Joe on his first ever visit to Tuart Place in March this year.

Joe called in to say hi and to contribute photos of a reunion at Bindoon in the early 1990s. This photo was taken at the old watertank, which was the first building project at Bindoon for which the boys provided labour. Thank you Joe, we greatly appreciate these new additions to our Historical Photos Collection.

At Tardun in 1958: Mike is seated in front

Historical Photos Collection: Thank you Joe Borg

First global exchange on records access

“Imagine the child you are writing about will read your words in 30 years’ time”

We are grateful to Joanne Evans

from Monash University for inviting Tuart Place to join in the inaugural Global Records Access Information Exchange, held online on 15th April 2021. Co-convened by Joanne and Gaynor Clarke from Aberdeen City Council, and supported by Social Work Scotland, 120 participants from Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and other parts of the UK came together to share ways in which to radically improve recordkeeping for children and young people with care experiences. The 12 lightning presentations covered discussion of lifelong rights in records, approaches to writing records with love, care and kindness, pathways to better records access, and transforming current systems with people at the heart. One suggestion for today’s record keepers is to imagine the child you are writing about will be reading your words in 30 years’ time.

For those providing access to out-of-home care records: Start from a position of not redacting anything, and work backwards from there. Joanne Evans says the enthusiastic response to this first Exchange demonstrates the viability of establishing an international network to bring all those chipping away at Care recordkeeping challenges to come together, share practice improvements, and advocate for more radical transformations. Plans are afoot for a follow up event in the next 4-6 months. For further information, visit: http:// socialworkscotland.org/event/global-record-accessinformation-exchange-childhood-care-records/ We had a great meeting with State Records Director Damian Shepherd on his recent visit to Tuart Place. The State Records Office is Western Australia’s public records authority with responsibility for managing, preserving and providing access to the State’s records of information. Our main contact with the SRO involves supported access to care leavers’ records. Damian made contact earlier this year, seeking input on draft guidelines being developed to enhance access to non-recent out-of-homecare records. His visit to Tuart Place in April provided a chance to share information, discuss barriers to access, as well as things that work well. The SRO is keen to improve record-keeping practices for children and young people currently in care, and avoid mistakes of the past. There is a wealth of information on the SRO website, including a collection of interesting and quirky stories from the archives: http://wa.gov.au/organisation/ state-records-office-of-western-australia/stories-thestate-archives-collection

Publication Alert:

Rights in records

This paper introduces a Charter of Lifelong Rights centred on the lifelong and diverse information and recordkeeping needs of care leavers and children in outof-home care today. The principles underpinning the Charter relate to child wellbeing and safety, self-determination, linked to archival autonomy and agency, and Indigenous Sovereignty and cultural safety.

Golding, F., Lewis, A., McKemmish, S., Rolan, G., & Thorpe, K. (2021). Rights in records: A Charter of Lifelong Rights in Childhood Recordkeeping in Out-of-Home Care for Australian and Indigenous Australian children and care leavers. The International Journal of Human Rights. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2020.1859484