The Child Welfare Department of Western Australia was responsible for the welfare of children in out of home care for much of the twentieth century. Known as the ‘CWD’ or ‘the welfare’, the department had an impact on the lives of many WA families. The CWD ran its own Children’s Homes, ‘placed’ children in other…
The Public Charities and State Children Department was established in 1908, following the passage of the State Children Act of 1907. This Act established the State Children’s Department which operated in conjunction with the Public Charities Department and was known as the Public Charities and State Children’s Department. Previously, child welfare had been the responsibility…
The Department for Community Development was formed on 1 October 1992, and was the key government organisation responsible for child welfare in Western Australia. It ceased on 1 July 1995 and was followed by the Department for Family and Children’s Services. There have been two ‘versions’ of the Department for Community Development in WA and…
The Department for Child Protection was the lead agency responsible for the care and protection of children in Western Australia. In October 2008, the Department for Child Protection ran 21 family group homes across the state. In May 2013 its name changed to the Department for Child Protection and Family Support. The State Records Office…
The Department for Communities was established in 2007 in response to a review conducted by Ms Prudence Ford in 2006 which recommended the abolition of the Department for Community Development and the establishment of two separate departments, namely the Department for Communities and the Department for Child Protection and Family Support. The Department for Communities…
The Department of Native Welfare (DNW) operated from 1955, taking over the responsilibies of the Department of Native Affairs. The head of the Department, the Commissioner of Native Welfare, was the legal guardian of all Aboriginal children in Western Australia who were not already wards under the Child Welfare Act 1947. Following the Native Welfare…
The Industrial Department was established around 1916. It was responsible for the Labour Bureau and state immigration. In 1930, the Industrial Department closed and its activities were transferred to the Charitable Grants Department. Pearce gives the starting date for the immigration functions of the Department as 1925. However, Wettenhall gives 1916. In 1924, the Industrial…
The Chief Secretary’s Department became part of the new Tasmanian public service in 1901. It coordinated the administrative business of government. In 1914, the Chief Secretary’s Department and Premier’s Office replaced the Chief Secretary’s Department. The Under-Secretary was in charge of the Chief Secretary’s Department. In this role, he corresponded with children, occasionally visited them,…
The Prisons Department replaced the Gaols Department in 1959. It had oversight of the inmates of the Police Watch House in Launceston and other local prisons. The Department ran Campbell Street Gaol and its replacement, Risdon Prison. In 1983, the Prisons Department became part of the Division of Corrective Services which was located within the…
The Gaols Department replaced the HM Gaols Department in 1944. It had oversight of the inmates of the Police Watch House in Launceston and other local gaols and ran Campbell Street Gaol in Hobart. In 1959, it became the Prisons Department. Although the Gaols Department had oversight of the inmates at the Police Watch House…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
