After four months of assisted research, we would like to share an amazing and meaningful outcome with one of our Forensic Case Work clients.
At the beginning of his forensic case work journey, the client found it extremely difficult to identify community related goals and activities. However, through many conversations with his Forensic Case Worker a new discovery became the catalyst for a positive change.
The client shared that he was adopted and never knew his biological mother. This sparked a new and personal journey to “Learn more about his family history using Ancesty.com”. From this moment, a huge shift in engagement, motivation and curiosity was observed. There was also a drastic boost in his wellbeing which he self-described as “sky high”. Outreach soon transformed into sessions dedicated to research, exploring family records and uncovering pieces of his story.
Using only the client’s birth certificate, early discoveries revealed the suburb where his mother lived (who sadly passed away in 2016) and that he had seven siblings. This led to an outreach session where the client was able to visit the location together with his Forensic Case Worker, allowing a moment for him to connect further. Reviewing his birth certificate further, his place of birth was uncovered. This was a hospital accommodating young women, many of whom were sent there because they did not conform to the sexual morality of the day. Among many other horror stories which were listed online about this hospital, it became plausible that the client’s mother’s life consisted of challenges and hardships.
As the research continued, it became clear that one individual was allowing for all this information to be made available to the client. This individual was found to be the client’s first cousin. Through further research and information available on Google, it was discovered this cousin identifies as aboriginal, raising the possibility that the client also shares this heritage. This possibility was soon confirmed as fact through a report which was submitted to the Yoorrook Justice Commission. This report highlighted the entire family’s history and provided further confirmation that the client’s mother was in fact searching for him. For our client “that’s the important bit (he) wanted”.
With the support of Forensic Case Work Services, the client was assisted to contact his cousin, and he was able to meet his first known blood relative for the very first time. This emotional and affirming experience allowed further learnings about his mother. She was described by his cousin as a woman who was the life of the party, loved to cook, sang in a choir, and enjoyed many cruise ship holidays before her passing. His cousin also shared that his mother never identified with her aboriginality due to her upbringing and attitudes of the time. In response, our client stated, “I am proud to be Aboriginal”.
This experience supported meaningful growth in our client’s identity, wellbeing, and connection. Furthermore, he is very eager to meet with the rest of his newly discovered family in 2026. We would like to wish our client the very best with the next stage of his journey connecting with family.
A big thank you should also go to this client’s Forensic Case Worker, whose commitment and dedication to her role and her client was the driving force behind these truly special developments.