The Convent of the Good Shepherd at Abbotsford was established by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in 1863. A number of different institutions operated on the site at Abbotsford on the banks of the Yarra River, including an industrial school, reformatory, orphanage, female asylum and school. In 1961, it was designated by the department…
The Presbyterian Society for Neglected and Destitute Children was established in 1893, with prominent child rescuer Selina Sutherland as its agent. In late 1894, there was a very public disagreement between Sutherland and the Presbyterian Church over a dictate that the Society would only receive children under legal guardianship, and over preference given to Presbyterian…
The Presbyterian and Scots’ Church Children’s Aid Society was established in 1895, bringing together the Presbyterian Society for Neglected and Destitute Children (established in 1893) and the Scots Church Neglected Children’s Aid Society (established in 1881). The end date for this organisation is unclear. There are surviving records from the Presbyterian and Scots’ Church Children’s…
Kildonan was a children’s home in North Melbourne, established in 1890, and run by the Presbyterian Church. It usually housed children waiting to be ‘boarded out’ in the country, but some children were housed for longer periods. In 1937, the children were transferred from North Melbourne to a new Kildonan Home in Burwood. Kildonan in…
St Cuthbert’s Home was established in 1948. It first accommodated boys aged 6 to 14 years, but by the 1960s also housed girls. The use of the name ‘St Cuthbert’s Children’s Home’ probably started around this time. From the late 1960s, St Cuthbert’s established a number of family group homes. In 1977, St Cuthbert’s was…
The Girls’ Memorial Home, in Fairfield, opened in 1922. It was a maternity home run by Wesley Central Mission. A toddlers home also operated within the home. Many of the young women’s babies were transferred from the Girls’ Memorial Home to the Methodist Babies’ Home in South Yarra. In 1973, it became Georgina House, a…
Wesley Youth Services Eastern Region (WYSE) provides placements and support for young people (aged between 12 and 18 years) who are subject to Child Protection orders.
The first Good Shepherd Sisters in Australia landed in Melbourne on 24 June 1863. They had travelled from Angers in France at the request of Bishop James Goold of Melbourne, to establish a female rescue home. They purchased a property at Abbotsford, from which they ran an industrial school, commercial laundry, and provided accommodation for…
Community Services Victoria (CSV) came into being in 1985. Formerly, it was known as the Department of Community Welfare Services. A number of functions were transferred from the Department of Health to the new CSV in 1985, including intellectual disability services, maternal and child health, kindergartens and child care.
Health and Community Services, State Government of Victoria, came into being in 1992. Formerly, it was known as the Community Services Victoria.
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
