Thank you to all carers who responded to our Facebook call out asking for examples of children in care who do not have a registered birth. The number of unregistered births identified through this process was significant and has been used as a basis for advocacy within the sector as examples of a broader systemic issue (please note that no personal information has been disclosed as part of this process).

We’ve been working with Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Children’s Court and the Commission for Children and Young People to identify the number of children in care without a registered birth. Birth, Deaths and Marriages data shows that approximately 7% of children in Victoria currently have an unregistered birth, which when extrapolated to out-of-home care suggests that there are approximately 560 children in the care system with an unregistered birth.

The failure to register a birth is a denial of a child’s human rights and makes access to universal health care, child care, schools, passports and bank accounts (amongst other things) problematic. We are still keen to hear from you if you have a child in your care without a registered birth as part of our ongoing advocacy on this issue.

Please contact Rowan Pulford: R.pulford@fcav.org.au