Berry Street – Child and Family Care was the new name given in 1975 to the former Berry Street Babies’ Home and Hospital. The name change reflected Berry Street’s new focus on child care, family counselling and support, and residential care for children in family group homes. In 1992, the name changed again to Berry Street Incorporated.
Berry Street – Child and Family Care came into being in 1975. It was previously known as the Berry Street Babies’ Home and Hospital.
The name change reflected Berry Street’s new focus on child care, family counselling and support, and residential care for children in family group homes.
Berry Street celebrated its centenary in 1977. The centenary year was marked by the completion of a rebuilding and development program. This included the building of two ‘modern homes’ providing emergency accommodation for families, a new administration building and a two-storey wooden cubby house, built as a gift by students at RMIT for the children at Berry Street.
The Patroness of Berry Street, Lady Winneke, opened the new facilities on 9 November 1976.
Bill Fordyce of Berry Street wrote about the changes taking place in an article from September 1976, with the organisation’s new focus on ‘child and family care’:
With this change of thinking it has been necessary to change our buildings to fit in with these new plans. So, to provide a home environment rather than an institutional one, we have closed the nursery ward and the toddlers’ ward and replaced them with Family Group Homes in the suburbs. In each of these Homes we have up to six children in the care of house parents, with the children of an age range one would expend to find in a six child family. In this situation, the children can live as a normal family would. They attend the local school, can join scout or guide groups, attend their own church if they wish, join youth clubs and do the things that all today’s young people like to do. They become members of a family rather than belonging to an institution (Hops, Steps and Jumps, 1976).
In March 1977, the Past Nurses Association held a centenary celebration of its own, with a lunch at the Hilton Hotel.
The official centenary celebrations for Berry Street took the form of a ‘basket luncheon’ with 500 guests on 15 June 1977.
In 1992, the name changed again to Berry Street Incorporated.
Berry Street Victoria is the custodian of records from Berry Street Child and Family Care.