Poor records hide truth from state wards A state ward trying to piece together their identity was told by the Victorian Department of Human Services their file had been found but there was nothing in it. Another ward of state was told by the Uniting Church there were too many files to sift through, a Victorian inquiry has heard. Experts have warned that some Australians raised in orphanages or foster homes may never know their own history because of poor record keeping. Records and Information Management Professionals Australia (RIMPA) company director Debbie Prout said the Victorian human services department had only catalogued 26 of more than 150 years worth of records relating to wards in institutions, despite having had the majority of those records for more than 15 years. In addition to this, she said, reports by the Victorian auditor-general and the ombudsman's office had identified about 300 recurring and high risk record-keeping compliance breaches across government agencies, the community and outsourced organisations. There was no complaints process and the penalties for destruction were woeful, Ms Prout told the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into child abuse. One ward who applied for their file found it contained letters from their mother they had never been allowed to see. "They tell a story that I have not been able to understand for most of my life," the ward said in a report read to the inquiry. But for every file that helps an Australian care leaver understand a little more of themselves, there is one that disappoints. Half of the wards surveyed by RIMPA about their search for records said there were mistakes in their files. Victoria's commissioner for children and young people, Bernie Geary, who also addressed the inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, called for some exemptions to the Working with Children Act to be dropped. Under 2005 legislation, parents who volunteer with their own child, such as a father who coaches his son's under-12 football team, do not have to have a working with children check. Mr Geary said the fact that a person was a parent did not guarantee they were suitable to work with children. "Research and clinical practice consistently demonstrates that (people) who present a risk of harm to children will seek access to children, including peers of their own children," he said. He also called for checks to be a requirement for all religious personnel.