Uniting secures care-leavers accreditation

Uniting secures care-leavers accreditation

Media release                                                                                   24 September 2025

Uniting NSW.ACT is leading the way in the delivery of specialist residential aged care to cater for clients who have been institutionalised at some point in their lives.

Recognised as Forgotten Australians, half a million people nationally experienced out of home care between the 1950s and 1989.

The federal government’s Aged Care Act, formalised in November 2024, recognises people may require special care, including the Stolen Generations, child migrants from the UK and Malta, children housed in church or state-run orphanages, people who as adults or children spent time in prison or lived for lengthy periods in healthcare.

Uniting Executive Manager of Nursing and Clinical Governance Tanya Critchlow said, “as these survivors age and may begin to experience complex needs, the prospect of moving into residential care can stir an array of powerful and challenging responses”.

“We are the first provider in NSW to get this verification and second in Australia. This is a huge achievement and something we are very proud of,” she said.

Nareen Gardens on the NSW Central Coast and Uniting Osborne Nowra are the first of Uniting’s more than 70 residential aged care sites to achieve accreditation.

Care leavers in residential homes may never disclose their history, Uniting recognises staff may be care leavers too and has embraced this trauma-informed care framework so as to create safe environments for all.

Uniting NSW.ACT delivers care at home and operates more than 70 residences in urban, rural and regional centres across NSW and Act.

ENDS