There are few things that can warm the heart like the moment when an orphaned child gets adopted by a good home. As we all want to know where we come from, there could come a time when that child returns to the orphanage to seek out their personal records. However, without some form of document management and storage system in place, it can become increasingly difficult to store and organize the ever growing amount of records.

According to a recent article from The New Age, the Eastern Province Child and Youth Care Center in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, will now be able to benefit from a donation of a free record management service thanks to a local provider. Currently, the center provides a safe environment for 104 orphaned children of all races between the ages of four and 18 years old.

According to Terry Hattingh, the director of the center, children that have left often return to request their records, sometimes after a considerable length of time. That could include copies of birth certificates, details on education, family history and medical records, which the organization is required to hold indefinitely.

Previously, there had been no system in place which led to “a battle to find them,” whenever someone came in to request a document. Now that they have a process in place, every child’s records will be filed, indexed and stored.

“Given the fact that the center has been around since 1889, there were massive amounts of records that had to be stored, which resulted in the increasing requirement of physical space and the safety of the records becoming a growing concern for the center,” the article read.

Here in the U.S., companies that are required to hold on to physical documents can take a page from the orphanage’s book and look into a document management service for the best results. By using a professional records management firm, companies can securely store their records offsite.

When selecting a records management company, it is beneficial to find one that offers a robust database and inventory management system to their clients at no extra charge. When the records firm provides online access, a company can benefit from the ability to view and manage their record inventory from the convenience of their desk using a secure internet connection.