The Chief Secretary’s Department played a significant role in the administration of Victorian government agencies from the time of its establishment in 1855. Prior to this, the Colonial Secretary had responsibility for many of these functions. For a long period of Victoria’s history, the Chief Secretary’s Department was the body with ultimate responsibility for wards…
The Hospitals and Charities Commission came into being in 1948 under the terms of the Hospitals and Charities Act 1948 (no.5200). The Commission assumed responsibility for functions previously administered by the Charities Board. Its responsibilities included the management and registration of institutions providing residential care to children and young people. The Commission was responsible for…
OzChild was created in July 1993, when three long-established child welfare agencies – Family Action, Family Focus, and The National Children’s Bureau of Australia – amalgamated to form Oz Child: Children Australia Inc. which later operated as OzChild. OzChild is one of Australia’s oldest independent children’s welfare organisations, with a history of helping children since…
The State Library of Victoria (SLV) was established in 1854 as a place where all Victorians could go seeking information and knowledge. The State Library of Victoria is the repository for many record collections related to the history of child welfare in Victoria.
The Charities Board of Victoria came into being in 1923 under the terms of the Hospitals and Charities Act 1922 (no.3260). The Board was responsible for benevolent societies and institutions which were supported in whole or in part by voluntary contributions and which had as one of their objects the provision of ‘charitable relief to…
The Australian Jewish Welfare Society (AJWS) was established in 1936, primarily as a support agency for Jewish pre-war and post-war migrants. Some Jewish children fleeing the Nazis in Germany and Austria immigrated to Australia, some being cared for at Frances Barkman House in Balwyn, Victoria. In 2001 the Australian Jewish Welfare Society was renamed Jewish…
The Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home was incorporated in 1914 to run the Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home in East Melbourne as well as the Beaconsfield Babies’ Home. The Beaconsfield Home closed in 1946, and in 1964 the East Melbourne Foundling Hospital became known as Berry Street Babies’ Home and Hospital. The Foundling Hospital and…
The Beaconsfield Babies’ Home was opened in 1915, in Beaconsfield. It was run by the Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home, which also operated the Foundling Hospital and Infants’ Home in Berry Street, East Melbourne. The Beaconsfield Babies’ Home was closed in 1946. The Beaconsfield Babies’ Home was established in May 1915. It was run by…
The Melbourne City Mission Maternity Home opened in Brunswick in 1900. It housed pregnant mothers, babies and arranged some adoptions. From 1947 a Toddlers’ Home called Hartnett House operated on the same site. In 1955, the Maternity Home and Toddlers’ Home were amalgamated into one unit. It was renamed Hartnett House in 1958. The Melbourne…
The Carry On Club of Victoria was established in 1932 to provide welfare assistance to the ex-service community. It was founded by William Hawkins. Carry On operated a Home in Brighton named Hurlingham, and a family group Home in Mitcham. Carry On assists Australian and Allied ex-servicemen and women in need who have served or…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
