Voluntary placement is a term to describe the practice of parents or relatives putting a child into a Home, outside of child welfare legislation. These children (sometimes referred to as ‘voluntary wards’, ‘non wards’, or ‘private children’) came into ‘care’ under informal arrangements, often due to economic difficulties or a family crisis that made it…
Vagrancy is a term to describe the criminalisation of poverty. Vagrancy was an offence whereby people could be imprisoned for being without visible means of support. An adult convicted of vagrancy could have their child/ren committed to the state under child welfare legislation. State laws authorised the transfer of ‘neglected children’ into care if they…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
