The Long Shadow of Institutionalisation: Professional Perspectives on Supporting Care Leavers in Old Age

ABSTRACT Forgotten Australians—those who spent time in institutional or out‐of‐home care as children until the 1980s—form a marginalised and often overlooked group within Australia's ageing population. Although formally recognized under the Aged Care Act, their distinct needs remain largely invisible in mainstream aged care. This study examines the perspectives of aged care professionals on the safety, accessibility and responsiveness of services for older Care Leavers. Based on three focus groups with 15 professionals in diverse aged care roles, the findings highlight key systemic and practice‐level barriers to trauma‐informed, person‐centred care. Five interrelated themes emerged: mistrust of institutional settings, limited trauma awareness, resistance to standardized service models, examples of effective relational practice, and principles for systemic reform. Participants described aged care as inflexible, risk‐averse and ill‐equipped to respond to the legacies of institutional trauma. However, they also identified opportunities for change—particularly through investment in consistent, relationship‐based care, more flexible service delivery and improved sector‐wide trauma literacy. By offering a practitioner lens, this study contributes to the growing literature on ageing Care Leavers and underscores the urgent need for reform. Without sustained change, aged care systems risk reproducing the very harms that many Care Leavers have spent their lives trying to overcome.