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Open Place - Support Service for Forgotten Australians

Did you grow up in a Victorian orphanage or home prior to 1990?

Our Open Place Support Service for Forgotten Australians/Pre-1990 Care Leavers can help you with specialised, state-wide support, advocacy and direct assistance.

 

This includes:

  • Records searches and family searches
  • Counselling
  • Social support groups
  • Coordinated support
  • National Redress support
  • Community education.

Open Place also runs a Drop-In service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, where you can come and meet up with other Forgotten Australians/Pre-1990 Care Leavers, chat over a meal, access computers and printers, shower, engage in activities and enjoy a monthly community lunch.

Visit the Open Place website

We recognise the lifelong impacts of childhood trauma.

We recognise those who had children taken away from them.

 

The Open Place suite of services is funded by the Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

Relationships Australia Victoria has been the provider of Open Place since 1 July 2020.

Related resources

Brochures & flyers
Open Place Brochure
Download
pdf, 545KB
News, blogs & media
Welcoming Open Place to Relationships Australia Victoria - Media release
Download
pdf, 174KB

To request printed copies of our brochures, please email Open Place.

View all our resources

Crisis support

We are not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 000 (triple zero).

For urgent support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, SuicideLine Victoria on 1300 651 251, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

Send us an enquiry

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Let us know how you would like to be addressed.
We want to make sure that we’re using your correct pronouns. Please let us know how you would like to be referred to. (Pronouns are words that we use to refer to people when we’re not using their name. Examples include she, he, they, xe, and ze. Some people don’t use pronouns at all, preferring to be referred to by name.)
We are committed to promoting and ensuring culturally safe access to our services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. If you’d like to share information about your cultural identity with us, please choose an option from the list below.
Please enter your preferred contact number without spaces.
Enter the suburb in Victoria where you live.
Select the Traditional Country where you live.

Are you a current service user of Open Place?

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Enter any details, comments or questions related to your enquiry.
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Personal information collected by Relationships Australia Victoria is treated as confidential and is protected by the Privacy Act 1988. All personal information that is collected is stored securely and made safe from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, modification or disclosure. More information is available at www.rav.org.au/privacy. Please tick the box to confirm that you understand and give permission. *

Please note: Once you click ‘Submit’, your enquiry may take 5-10 seconds to process before taking you to a confirmation screen. Please do not click ‘Submit’ again, or refresh your page, as this can interrupt the form submission.