Archives



Broadmeadows Family Centre

The Broadmeadows Family Centre was a service established by the Mission to the Streets and Lanes in October 1974. It provided family counselling, emergency foster care and a ‘home making’ service. The Centre was set up in response to requests to the Mission for a social worker in that area, and the need to regionalize…

UnitingCare Gippsland

On 1 July 2010, Kilmany UnitingCare changed its name to Gippsland UnitingCare. In 2017, it merged with other agencies to form the new organisation, Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania) Limited.

Wesley Mission Victoria

On 1 February 2010, Wesley Mission Victoria came into being. It was previously known as Wesley Mission Melbourne. The name change reflected an expansion of Wesley’s services into regional areas of Victoria. In July 2017, Wesley Mission Victoria merged with 21 UnitingCare agencies to form a new organisation: Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania) Limited.

Cara Inc.

Cara Inc. was established in 1979 as a not for profit charity and was run by a board of management. It operated four specialist residential homes and provided support and advocacy for young women aged between 12 and 17, some of whom were pregnant or had a baby. Young women were referred to Cara Inc….

Windermere Child and Family Services

Windermere Child and Family Services takes its name from the location of the Melbourne Orphan Asylum from 1878, in Windermere Crescent, Brighton. Windermere came into being in the wake of changes at the Melbourne Orphanage. With the transition from institutional, congregate care to family group homes during the 1960s, the Orphanage became known as the…

Berry Street Incorporated

Berry Street Incorporated came into being in 1992. It was previously known as Berry Street – Child and Family Care. In 1994, a decision was made to amalgamate with Sutherland Child Youth and Family Services. The merger became official on 6 September 1994. The new organisation retained the name Berry Street. Regarding the amalgamation of…

GordonCare for Children

GordonCare for Children came into being in late 2000. The organisation was previously known as the Gordon Homes for Boys and Girls. The name was changed to reflect the broadening scope of the care programs run by GordonCare. In June 2012 the GordonCare Committee of Management concluded its contract with the Department of Human Services,…

OzChild

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…

Mallee Family Care

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…

Victorian Children’s Aid Society

The Victorian Children’s Aid Society was established in 1920. It was formerly the Victorian Neglected Children’s Aid Society. It ran the Victorian Children’s Aid Home, located in Parkville until around 1966. In 1966 the Society moved the Home (which was renamed Swinburne House) and headquarters to Black Rock. From the 1970s, the Society expanded into…