The Health Commission was established in 1978, following a merger of the Hospitals Department and the Department of Public Health. It was responsible for the oversight and regulation of public hospitals, including mental health hospitals. In 2004 a new Department of Health was created, and in 2008 the Health Commission was replaced by the Health…
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), State Government of Victoria was established in 2021. Previously, it was the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The department is responsible for child protection, prevention of family violence, housing, disability, multicultural affairs, LGBTIQ+ equality, veterans, and the offices for Women and Youth. The Care Leavers…
The Benevolent Institution for Aboriginal Children was opened in April 1847 by the Sisters of Mercy, Perth Congregation as a Home for Indigenous children or non-Indigenous children considered to be orphaned or destitute. It was a small institution and soon became only for girls. In 1849, a small cottage was built, and 12 girls were…
The Department of Health came into being in 2021, when the Department of Health and Human Services was split into two new departments, the other being the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
The Citizens Welfare Service Hostel for Girls, at 10 Fernhurst Grove, Kew, opened in 1964. It accommodated young women experiencing family problems, as well as young women who had spent their childhood in institutions and had ‘little experience of family life’. Up to 10 young women could be at the hostel at any one time….
drummond street services is the organisation that was previously known as the Citizens Welfare Service of Victoria (CWS). The CWS had moved into premises at Drummond Street in Carlton in 1965. The organisation was renamed the Drummond Street Relationship Centre in 1996. In 2010, its name changed again to drummond street services. In September 2020,…
On 2 June 1874 the the Christian Brothers opened St Vincent de Paul Orphanage for Boys in South Melbourne. The Orphanage was created following the split of the St Vincent de Paul Orphanage into two, boys’ and girls’ orphanages. In 1967, the Orphanage became the St Vincent de Paul Boys’ Home. Since closing, the St…
The Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, which was known as The Victorian Asylum and School for the Blind until 1891, opened in Melbourne in 1866. Its aim was to provide accommodation, school and occupational training for up to 120 blind and vision impaired children and adults. It was initially located in a rented house…
The St Vincent de Paul Orphanage, Prahran was established in 1854 by Father Gerald Ward under the auspices of the St Vincent de Paul Society. It was located off the High Holborn Road, later known as High Street, Prahran. The Orphanage provided temporary accommodation for a small number of Catholic children who were orphaned, or…
Karinya Young Women’s Shelter is an organisation that provides short term crisis accommodation to young women aged 13 to 20 years old. It was originally established in Launceston in 1979 on a feminist-based collective model. In 2020 Karinya can provide crisis accommodation for up to six young women at a time, and also runs a…