What information will The Salvation Army ask for when I request records?

Information The Salvation Army will ask for

When you request Salvation Army records about you or your whānau, they will ask you for: 

• your name (or the name of your whānau) at the time you were at a Salvation Army
• your date of birth, if you know it
• Children’s Home or maternity hospital  
• when you (or your whānau) were at a Salvation Army Children’s Home or maternity hospital  
• the name of the children’s home or maternity hospital you (or your whānau) were in  
• the names of your siblings, and if you and your siblings were in a children’s home together. 

If they find the records you requested, they may ask for proof of your identity (for example, your photo ID) before sending copies of the records to you. You can email them a photograph of your ID.

Additional information if you are applying for the records of deceased whānau  

If you are requesting records about deceased whānau, The Salvation Army will also ask you for proof of:  

• their death
• your relationship with your whānau
• your photo ID.

You can provide these by emailing them photographs of the proofs. 

Additional information if you are requesting records about living whānau 

If you are requesting the Children's Home records of a living whānau member, they may also ask you for: 

• written consent from your whānau member 
• proof of your whānau member’s identity  
• proof of your relationship with your whānau (for example, a birth certificate). 

Additional information if you are requesting someone else’s records for them 

If you are requesting someone else’s records on their behalf, the Salvation Army will want to see proof that you have that person’s permission.

This can be in the form of a letter, written and signed by the person the records are about. The Salvation Army prefers the letters to be handwritten instead of typed (but it is not required). You can email them a photograph of the written permission.