Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers* often face barriers to accessing aged care and, as such, are recognised as a special needs group under the Aged Care Act 1997. Their experiences as children in care were often traumatic and the idea of requiring care as they age can be deeply retraumatising.

Over the past several years, Helping Hand Aged Care has been developing training and resources relating to care of Forgotten Australians and care leavers as part of the Real Care the Second Time Around (RCSTA) project. These were co-designed by people who identify as Forgotten Australians or Care Leavers - those with lived experience.

The RCSTA resources and training are intended to support aged care providers to provide trauma aware services for Care Leavers, and to give Care Leavers information about what they can ask about and expect in aged care. The resources and training are free and accessible on the internet.

Webinar

You are invited to attend a free webinar to learn more about the resources, Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers, and what trauma-informed aged care might look like. The webinar will take place on 2 November 2023 at 10.30am-11.30am AEST/11.30am-12.30pm AEDT/11am-12pm ACDT. At the webinar we will hear from an Aged Care Finder who specialises in supporting Forgotten Australians and care leavers; along with officers from the Department of Health and some of the Helping Hand team working on embedding the resources. This webinar is suitable for leaders, educators, quality managers, and senior clinicians in aged care seeking further insight into the delivery of trauma aware services.

* We acknowledge that not all people who were in care as children identify with these terms.