What to expect when accessing records about you
Have recordkeepers learned anything from the past?
We now know how important records are for people who were in 'care' as children, in terms of how 'care' leavers construct their identity and make sense of the past. The nature of recordkeeping is changing, and slowly improving. The agencies providing 'care' today now acknowledge the importance of records being meaningful, relevant and helpful for the children in their 'care'.
In Victoria, out of home 'care' providers are required to follow the 'Looking After Children (LAC)' framework, which leads to the creation of key records about each child. These records contain information about a child's development, identity, health, family and education during their time in 'care'. 'Life story work' is also growing in popularity.
Representatives of support groups and people who have been in 'care' are helping current providers of 'care' to understand what records can mean and the importance of good, accurate recordkeeping, that gives the perspective of the worker and the client.
The way people access records is changing too. The right to information and the importance of this information in terms of memory, identity is now acknowledged.
The Who Am I project is working with its partner organisations to investigate how records can be created and preserved in a way that supports the process of identity construction for 'care' leavers.