Uniting NSW.ACT has become the first provider in New South Wales, and only the second nationally, to achieve specialist residential aged care verification for supporting people who have experienced institutionalisation, known as Forgotten Australians.
Between the 1950s and 1989, around half a million Australians lived in out-of-home care, including members of the Stolen Generations, child migrants from the UK and Malta, children placed in orphanages, and people who spent time in prison or long-term healthcare institutions.
The government’s Aged Care Act, introduced in November 2024, formally recognised the need for trauma-informed approaches for these groups as they age. The 2022 Future of Ageing Awards (run by this publication) recognised the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians, which was established to continue the collaboration from the National Forum held by Relationships Australia, in Sydney on 6 June 2019. The group aims to spotlight the needs of Forgotten Australians/Care Leavers themselves as they age, or are ageing prematurely, as a result of the neglect and abuse they received in care as children…Read more.
Uniting Executive Manager of Nursing and Clinical Governance, Tanya Critchlow, said many survivors face heightened challenges when moving into aged care.
“As these survivors age and may begin to experience complex needs, the prospect of moving into residential care can stir an array of powerful and challenging responses,” Ms Critchlow said.
“We are the first provider in NSW to get this verification and the second in Australia. This is a huge achievement and something we are very proud of.”
Tanya Critchlow
Uniting’s Nareen Gardens on the NSW Central Coast and Osborne in Nowra are the first of its more than 70 residential sites to gain accreditation. The organisation has also adopted a trauma-informed framework, recognising that both residents and staff may be care leavers.
With services spanning at-home care and residential facilities across NSW and the ACT, Uniting NSW.ACT says its goal is to create safe, supportive environments that meet the unique needs of Forgotten Australians and other care leavers.
