The National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians
Foreword by National Roundtable Chair
On behalf of the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians, thank you for visiting our website. This website was established by the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians to serve as a resource hub for Forgotten Australians, Care Leavers and persons interested in learning about the experiences of individuals, who as children experienced institutional or out of home 'care', as they age, with an emphasis on appropriate and quality aged and community care.
While there have been sizable improvements in the treatment and awareness of Forgotten Australians and individuals who experienced institutional or out of home 'care', there are still significant changes that need to be made to aged and community supports including reform, redress and acknowledging mistakes of the past. That is why the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians aims to provide an opportunity for individuals with lived experience, expertise in the aged and community care sector and research to work towards improving the systems and support currently in place.
As information and services grow and develop, the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians is dedicated to updating resources and providing information that is correct, accessible, and valuable. The National Roundtable aims to directly support the interests of the Forgotten Australians in all aspects of seeking the highest quality and appropriate care and support as they age.
On behalf of all members of the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians I would like to acknowledge the seed funding provided by the Queensland Government Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs, Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce. This has contributed significantly to supporting our work and providing this website. I would also like to thank the numerous Queensland University of Technology students who committed their internship placements to the development of this website and provided administration to the National Roundtable.
We look forward to continuing to improve aged and community care services for Forgotten Australians.
Ms Anne Livingstone
Chair of the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians
April 2023
About the National Roundtable
The National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians was established to continue the collaboration from the National Forum held, in Sydney on 6 June 2019. The group aims to spotlight the needs of Forgotten Australians in aged and community care. The National Roundtable comprises of Forgotten Australians and other Care Leavers themselves, along with a range of individuals and organisations with expertise in the aged and community care sector, research, and specialist support services. This group advocates for change, greater access, service model redesign, the need for trauma informed training, along with the need for significant policy reform to ensure individuals receive the services that are right for them. The group is dedicated to directly supporting the interests of Forgotten Australians and other Care Leavers through collaboration, awareness raising and sharing of networks, resources, knowledge, and stories.
The National Roundtable focuses on bringing individual members’ knowledge and experience together to collaborate on research projects, data analysis and sharing, advocacy for policy change, creation of new service and organisational models, support for trauma informed training for all workers, and individual assistance on services and support. The group also has jointly worked on projects such as submissions to Royal Commissions into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and to various government departments.
Together, with an ever-expanding list of members and partners, The National Roundtable aims to bring awareness to the unique needs of Forgotten Australians and other Care Leavers as they age and require aged and community care.
Interview with National Roundtable Chair
Ms Anne Livingstone has been involved in the community care service sector for over four decades – specifically in the areas of service delivery, research, and development. As inaugural Chair of the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians, she was fundamental in the establishment of the group in 2019. In this interview, Ms Livingstone reflects on the importance of the National Roundtable, her involvement in it, and her views on aged and community care for Forgotten Australians.
Interview with National Roundtable Member
Ms Mal Causer is an Aged Care project worker at Lotus Place, Brisbane, and a member of the National Roundtable. In this interview, Ms Causer reflects on her involvement with the National Roundtable, along with her views as a specialist support provider about the requirements for quality of aged and community care for Forgotten Australians.
National Roundtable Achievements
2022 Future of Ageing Award
The National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians won the 2022 Future of Ageing Award in the category of Community Engagement.
The Future of Ageing Award recognises collaboration, leadership, and innovation across Australia’s aged care industry. The Award bring together providers, industry suppliers, leaders and other organisations that are striving to improve the lives of Ageing Australians.
Current Projects
National Curriculum
The National Roundtable is currently advocating State and Territory Government to include Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers history is taught in secondary school and in relevant tertiary education. This will not only ensure that important lessons from the past are not lost but will also make Forgotten Australians lives better into the future as they interact with service systems where their traumatic experiences are often relevant to their decisions to access supports to which they are entitled and their experience of the system.
Redress Payments
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was established in April of 2019 as a response to public concerns about widespread reports of violence against, and the neglect, abuse, and exploitation of, people with disability. The National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians made a submission to the Royal Commission addressing several recommendations based on the combined views of all members regarding institutional responses to child sexual abuse: a scheme providing support to survivors through counselling and a ‘Redress’ payment.
The National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians continues to work on addressing concerns and raising these nationally.
The National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians is made possible thanks to...
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Expression of Interest in joining the National Roundtable
If you would like to be involved in the various work of the National Aged and Community Care Roundtable for Forgotten Australians, please submit your expression of interest in becoming a member of the National Roundtable through this form.