Submission to Inquiry into Responses to Historical Forced Adoptions in Victoria

Forced adoption can have significant and long-term psychological effects on those affected. The APS believes that having access to trained health professionals with an understanding of forced adoption and trauma informed approaches is critical for doing effective work with people affected by forced adoptions. 

The APS considers it important for the Victorian Government to establish whether existing services are meeting the needs of the community, and specifically whether affected individuals are accessing and benefiting from them. This submission seeks to assist the Committee to investigate the adequacy of existing responses and support services in Victoria for people affected by forced adoption, by providing information about the nature, quality and uptake of the training for health professionals. 

The APS recommends the Victorian Government provide funding to subsidise existing high quality training courses to enable more Victorian health professionals to access training. In combination with this, the APS would be happy to work with the Victorian Government to better promote the training package, establish a state-based directory of trained health professionals, and enable access to a professional support network as appropriate.

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