30/06/2026 Media Release
Victoria’s specialist support services for people who were forcibly adopted are in jeopardy, after VANISH’s request for funding to continue its critical post-adoption counselling and peer support programs was denied.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, up to 250,000 Australian babies were removed from their mothers for adoption, the vast majority born to young, unmarried women. 60,000 of these adoptions took place in Victoria, leaving a legacy of grief, loss, trauma and suffering.
Recent research undertaken by the University of Melbourne with the VANISH community found that 58.2% of adoptees reported high or very high psychological distress, around four times the rate in the general Australian population.
For Katrina Ryan, a Victorian adoptee who has used VANISH’s peer support group for eight years, the uncertainty regarding the program’s future is not abstract. “Only through VANISH have I survived some of the most difficult periods of my life. I haven’t found this kind of support anywhere else.”
VANISH CEO Dr Michelle Blanchard said the situation reflects a broader inconsistency in how adopted people have been treated compared with other parties impacted by forced adoption or other systemic or institutional harms.
“The Victorian Government has rightly recognised the harm caused by historical forced adoption practices and VANISH commends its $138 million investment into establishing a world-first redress scheme for mothers separated from children through adoption. However, this funding for mothers does not support adoptees.”
“For adopted people themselves, there has been no equivalent recognition, despite growing evidence of lifelong harm and the many adoptees who bravely shared their personal experiences to the 2021 Victorian Inquiry into Responses to Historical Forced Adoption.”
“That is precisely why the continuation of state-funded specialist support services for adoptees is so vital. If these services disappear, many adoptees will be left without the support they need to navigate the lifelong impacts of adoption. Adoptees continue to be left behind.”
Michele Hutchins, a private practitioner and VANISH support group facilitator, said the loss of the service would leave a significant gap in specialist support.
“VANISH provides a unique and highly specialised service that cannot easily be replicated within mainstream mental health systems, which are already at capacity and turning people away.”
“For many adoptees, it is the first place where they encounter others who understand their experience and where they receive meaningful support to address issues rooted in developmental trauma, identity, grief, and complex reunion experiences.”
“The needs of this community extend far beyond searching for family members. Search and reunion are often the beginning of a new and profoundly complex phase of the adoption journey, and the process can trigger acute trauma.”
For 40 years, VANISH’s specialist services have supported thousands of adopted people, including local and intercountry Victorian adoptees, many who face complex questions around identity, belonging, family connection and trauma.
Losing these critical services would leave many adopted people without the specialist support they need, with flow-on impacts for the families, friends and professionals who support them.
What happens next
From 1 July 2026, Victorians affected by forced adoption seeking specialist counselling in their local communities will be directed to mainstream mental health services that VANISH says are rarely equipped to meet their needs. Last year, VANISH received approximately 900 enquiries for information and support, and provided over 650 counselling sessions with specialist practitioners for adoptees and mothers of loss. More than 200 Victorians regularly attend VANISH Support Groups across Victoria, including in Melbourne, Ballarat, Albury-Wodonga and online.
VANISH community members are currently raising emergency funds on GiveNow (https://www.givenow.com.au/vanishgroups) to enable the Support Groups to continue in a limited way while they seek alternative funding.
Media enquiries:
Dr Michelle Blanchard, Chief Executive Officer, VANISH: (03) 9328 8611 or ceo@vanish.org.au
About VANISH:
VANISH has been supporting Victorians affected by adoption and family separation for almost 40 years. We help people access information about their origins and identity, search for and reconnect with family members, and navigate the lifelong and intergenerational impacts of these complex experiences. Through education and advocacy, we work to create lasting change that is grounded in the expertise of those who have lived it.
Stay connected with the VOICE
Sign up to receive the VANISH VOICE, our bi-monthly newsletter filled with information and updates, personal stories, invitations to VANISH events, and more.