Eighth Anniversary of the National Apology for Forced Adoptions

Sunday 21 March 2021 marks the eighth anniversary of the Australian Government’s 2013 National Apology for Forced Adoptions.

Relationships Australia Victoria acknowledges the ongoing impact of past forced adoption policies and practices on affected mothers, fathers, children and extended family members.

We are funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services to provide the Forced Adoption Support Service for Victoria.

Our service shifted focus in 2019 to now offer counselling as a central service offering. This change came about from listening to important feedback from many of our clients and people contacting our service who told us counselling was their priority service need. We have since had ongoing interest and positive feedback about this counselling focus, with clients sharing this has been needed for a long time. We continue to listen to our clients, and advocate for their voices to be heard. Our Forced Adoption Support Service made a submission to the current Inquiry into Responses to Historical Forced Adoptions in Victoria.

How can we help?

If you or someone you know is affected by forced adoption, our Forced Adoption Support Service can offer you free and confidential counselling, practical support and advocacy.

Who can we help?

We offer support to all people affected by forced adoption policies and practices, including mothers, fathers, adopted persons and extended family across Victoria. We offer support over the phone, via video-conferencing or face-to-face.

Contact us

To find out more about the service, click here or contact us to speak to us about how we can support you.

• Call 1800 21 03 13
• Email [email protected]