The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act 1976 (1976/112) amended and modernised the Adoption of Children Act 1896. It removed the term, ‘illegitimate child’ and replaced it with ‘a child whose parents were not married to each other at the time of his birth or subsequently.’ It also further clarified the concept of ‘undue influence’…
The Adoption of Children Act 1896 (1896/006) made it possible to legally adopt a child under the age of 15 years in Western Australia. The Act was amended throughout the twentieth century and was eventually repealed by the Adoption Act 1994. The Adoption of Children Act 1896 came into operation on 23 September 1896. It…
The Health Act 1911 (1911/034 (1 Geo. V No.45)) repealed the Health Act 1898 and remains the principal public health legislation in Western Australia. In 1911 it had a number of impacts on children in out of home care, mainly through their participation in the school system. The Act allowed the medical and dental examination…
The Health Act 1898 (62 Vict. No.24) was the first comprehensive piece of legislation to regulate public health matters in Western Australia. In Part 7, the Act contained a number of elements that were relevant to children in out of home care: ‘Infant Life Protection’. Alice Mitchell, the famous Baby Farmer, was in breach of…
The State Library of Western Australia is the State’s main reference library. It has resources dedicated to the history of Western Australia and the people of the State.
Methodist Home for Children: reports and general correspondence (Volume 1 of 2) is an item within the main series of child welfare files for Western Australia. It contains many handwritten and typed Inspector’s Reports on the operation of the Methodist Homes for Children. The reports were written by Inspectors from the State Children Department and,…
‘Files – Child Welfare’ is a large series of files on administrative matters relating to the welfare of children in out of home care in Western Australia from 1917 to 1972. It contains files created by the State Children’s Department and the Child Welfare Department. Many records in this series directly relate to the administration…
Tuart Place is a resource service for people who were in any type of out-of-home care during childhood, including foster care and children’s Homes. It is located in Fremantle, Western Australia and is open three days each week. Tuart Place has been set up to provide people who have been in out of home care…
Adoption Services is a section of Child Protection and Family Support within the Department of Communities. Its purpose is to ensure that people who are legally able to do so can gain access to adoption records. The publication ROADS – An index of locations and access to adoption records shows that the following types of…
The Old Fairbridgians Association (OFA) was established in the 1930s to provide aftercare assistance for young people leaving Fairbridge Farm at Pinjarra. Recently, the website of the OFA was re-badged as ‘fairbridgekids’. The website has been developed for people who spent some of their childhood or youth at Fairbridge Farm. People are encouraged to ‘walk…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
