The Janefield Colony was established in 1937 by the Department of Mental Hygiene. It provided accommodation and educational instruction to mostly boys and girls aged 14 and over who were classified as ‘mentally deficient’. Janefield closed in 1996. The site of the Janefield Colony was formerly the site of the Janefield Sanatorium, a training farm…
The Pleasant Creek Colony in the town of Stawell was established in 1937 by the Department of Mental Hygiene. It accommodated older children and young people up to the age of 20 who were classified as ‘mentally deficient’. Residents attended Pleasant Creek Special School no. 4549 which was located on the site. Pleasant Creek closed…
Kew Children’s Cottages date back to 1887. They were located adjacent to the Kew Asylum and were also known as the ‘idiot ward’. They provided accommodation and education to children with intellectual disabilities. They were closed in 2008. Kew Children’s Cottages became known by that name from around 1929, although the Kew Asylum had housed…
The Mental Hygiene Branch was established in 1944. It assumed responsibility for those functions previously administered by the Department of Mental Hygiene, namely the development and direction of policy governing the treatment of the mentally ill, the care of the intellectually disabled, the care and treatment of alcohol and drug dependent persons, and for the…
An Inspector of Public Charities appears to have been first appointed in late 1880 within the Department of the Treasurer. The position of Inspector had been recommended by the Royal Commission into Charitable Institutions of 1870 . The Inspector undertook the investigation of the management, and audit of the accounts, of institutions receiving assistance from…
The origins of Jesuit Social Services are in the work of Peter Norden SJ in the late 1970s. In January 1977, Norden established a hostel for young offenders in Hawthorn. This grew into what became known as the Brosnan Centre, named after the long-serving chaplain at Pentridge Prison, Fr John Brosnan. In December 1976 ‘Four…
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….
The Southport Youth Support Service was established by Melbourne City Mission in 1987, to support young people in the areas of South Melbourne and Port Melbourne. The service was set up to work collaboratively with local government, other services and local businesses to respond to a wide range of issues for young people including education,…
Community Integration and Accommodation Options (CIAO) was set up in 1991 by Melbourne City Mission. CIAO provides accommodation and support services to young people on statutory orders who are exiting residential services in the North and Western suburbs. The young people are aged between 15 and 18 years old and are often dealing with complex…
Centacare Catholic Family Services was formerly known as the Catholic Social Service Bureau. The name change, to reflect the organisation’s ‘commitment to families’ was announced by Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne George Pell in December 1998. The Department of Human Services funded Centacare’s Adoption and Permanent Care Service, which incorporated an information service about previous adoptions.
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
