Under the Children's Welfare Act 1954, the Council's function was: 'to advise the Minister on any alterations in practice or procedure considered desirable from time to time for the welfare protection and care of children and young persons'.
The establishment of the Children's Welfare Advisory Council meant that for the first time in Victoria, there was a body which could conduct regular inspections of children's Homes and monitor whether minimum standards were being met. Given Victoria's reliance on institutions run by the charitable and religious sector to provide Homes for state wards, this development was seen by commentators such as Tierney as a great leap forward for the child welfare system.
Under the Act, 'voluntary institutions' had to apply to be registered as 'approved children's home', 'approved juvenile school' or 'approved juvenile hostel'. The Children's Welfare Advisory Council had the power to revoke this status in the event that the 'approved' institution was found not to be maintaining adequate standards for the children in its care.
A study by the Children's Welfare Advisory Committee led to the publication of a report containing comprehensive information about children's Homes in Victoria (Merritt's Child care staff in institutions, 1957).
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The Find & Connect Support Service can help people who lived in orphanages and children's institutions look for their records.
Last updated:
22 January 2018
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/vic/E000311
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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