Darlington House

Darlington House continued the group home known as Darlington Cottage (1977-1983), a government-run residential group home for boys released from Hillston. In 1994, it housed children aged 8-12 years for periods from two weeks to one year. In 2014, it remained open as a residential group home.

After Hillston closed in 1983, Darlington House became one of a group of government-run ‘community support hostels’. Government reports (Signposts 2004, pp.183-185) describe Darlington’s function at that time as ‘providing skilled care’ for children who authorities believed would not settle well into an emergency foster placement. Reports from that period indicate that many of the children admitted to Darlington Cottage may have faced significant and complex challenges in their life and needed ‘behavioural stabilisation and training’ to assist children with social relationships and subsequent placements.

By 1987, up to 8 children and young people aged 6-17 years could be admitted to Darlington Hostel, as it was then known. Children who were on arrest or remand could also be placed there.

In 1994, Darlington was able to provide support and accommodation for children aged 8-12 years, for periods from two weeks to 12 months.

In 2018, a married couple who worked at Doubleview Group Home and Darlington Hostel were charged with historical child sexual assault offences, dating back to the 1990s. The pair suicided before they faced trial (Pilat, 2018 & 2019).

Darlington, known as ‘Darlington House’, remained open in 2014.