The aim of the Victorian Association of Day Nurseries, formerly known as the Association of Creches from 1913, was ‘to assist parents and children who have been deprived of normal happy home life by tragedy and disaster to overcome their difficulties and rebuild their lives’. The Day Nurseries provided day care (not residential care) for…
The Charity Organisation Society (COS) of Melbourne was established in 1887 to help co-ordinate Melbourne’s charitable organisations and to foster the ideal of ‘self-help’ in the poor. The Society played a role in the development of the social work profession in Victoria. In 1947, the Society moved to new premises in Drummond Street, Carlton and…
Mallee Family Care was established in 1979, one of a number of regional programs established by Melbourne Family Care. These new organisations came into being in a policy environment in which the government was pursuing options for children to be placed in ‘care’ in or near the communities in which their families lived. Having been…
The Sandhurst Industrial School was established in 1868, within the grounds of the Bendigo (or Sandhurst) Benevolent Asylum. The Neglected and Criminal Children’s Act 1864 allowed for the establishment of private industrial schools. There were 3 private industrial schools in Victoria, the other two (in Geelong and Abbotsford) were Catholic institutions. Neglected children had been housed…
The Adoption and Family Records Service (AFRS) was a program within the Department of Human Services (DHS) for former wards of the state of Victoria and their families. The purpose of the Service was to release state ward files and provide assistance to locate other relevant records and information; give counselling and support and referrals…
The Children’s Welfare Advisory Council came into being with the passage of the Children’s Welfare Act 1954. The Council consisted of representatives nominated by the Children’s Welfare Association of Victoria and the Victorian Council of Social Service. Its name changed to the Family Welfare Advisory Council with the passage of the Social Welfare Act 1960….
The Anglican (Church of England) Diocese of Ballarat has been in existence since at least 1863. The Diocese ran the St Cuthbert’s Children’s Home in Colac from 1948. The affairs of St Cuthbert’s Children’s Home were conducted by a Board of Management consisting of local citizens of the Colac and district community.
The Central Dorcas Society was a Wesleyan organisation established at a meeting of over 100 women in 1888. The aims of the Society were ‘to help the poor and look after waifs’. After a name change to the Central Dorcas Association Help and Rescue Society, in 1891 the Society became known as the Wesleyan Church…
The Salvation Army EastCare Network was established in 1995. The Network operates a range of programs in the Department of Human Services’ Eastern Metropolitan Region.
Peninsula Youth and Family Services (PYFS) is part of the Salvation Army’s South East Services Network in Victoria. PYFS has offices in Frankston, Mornington and Rosebud.