Access to records for former child migrants

The Index has not yet recorded a verbatim government response to this recommendation.

No statement on delivery from Child Migration Institutions has been found in the sources searched. This is separate from the response above.

On the 30 January 2020, Barnardos stated that it continues to invest in and maintain the Making Connections Service which manages child records. In addition, Barnardos has started the process of dealing with over 1,000 boxes of archive material to further improve the cataloguing, storage and search capability of the records that it holds. On 16 January 2020, Action for Children stated the Access to Records service continues to be in place and continues to be provided free of charge. The Access to Records service is advertised on its website and links to advice provided about support for children formerly in the care of Action for Children or the National Children’s Home, and to the public apology and statement issued in 2018. On 7 February 2020, the Catholic Church in England and Wales stated that it remains committed to the secure retention of the individual child migrant records collated by the Australian Child Migrant Project for the purposes of providing migrants and their family, with information about their background. These records are held by the Catholic Children’s Society Westminster. On 10 February 2020, Father Hudson’s Care stated that it places great value on its historic child care records and provides a trained specialist social worker to ensure that access to records is provided promptly, efficiently and sensitively. On 11 February 2020, the Children’s Society stated that it has a Records and Archive service which contains a series of documents of children's cases relating to a proportion of the children's homes formerly managed by the organisation, together with records relating to child care and some policy files relating to areas such as child migration to Australia. The archive service provides access to case file records that completes enquiries from child migrants who request copies of their records and seek to discover information about their birth families. On 3 March 2020, the Sisters of Nazareth stated that the Order’s archives were re-opened in January 2020, allowing for quick and thorough access to the documentation held. Access to the Order’s archive can be arranged directly with the archivist and via the Order’s website. On 20 April 2020, the Salvation Army UK stated that it has worked with the International Heritage Centre to ensure that documentation can be made available to those who seek information, bearing in mind the impact of data privacy laws. On 17 January 2020, Cornwall Council confirmed that it has put in place record storage arrangements, in line with statutory requirements, and that it provides support to enable people to have access to their records. On 7 July 2020, the Prince’s Trust confirmed that it facilitates former child migrants accessing copies of their case files, case notes and aftercare reports held in the Fairbridge Society Archive. As a result, any former child migrant (or family member where appropriate) can access their records on request and free of charge.