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The Anglicare Children’s Homes, Foster Care and Out-of-Home Care Records collection includes records from the Church of England Homes and Sydney Anglican Home Mission Society, as well as some records relating to group homes and foster care. The collection also includes records from some Homes not operated by Anglicare, Church of England Homes or Sydney Anglican Home Mission Society. The collection dates from the 1920s up to the present day, and includes records from Anglicare’s present-day foster care and residential care programs. Access Conditions For access to these records please contact Care Leavers Records and Archives. Access to information contained in these records is restricted to ex-clients, or to a member of an ex-client’s family providing they have the written permission of that person. Support can be provided to people as they access their records. People applying to get access to information must provide proof of identity. Records The records for ea

Paul Street Adolescent Program, in Blacktown, was established in July 2000. Previously, the service was known as the Kingsleigh Group Home. Run by Anglicare, the Paul Street Adolescent Program provided accommodation had a capacity for 6 residents. It was intended to provide support to children who had experienced significant trauma and had higher needs, and aimed to prepare them for independent living or other permanent care. A report from 2005 stated that the average placemet at Paul Street was 2 years, and the longest placement there was 8 years. It had 2 staff at all times (ACWA, 2005). Paul Street Adolescent Program closed in August 2016.

Please contact Anglicare Adoption Services: Postal address: 19A Gibbons St, Telopea NSW 2117 Phone: (02) 9890 6800 Email: adoption@anglicare.org.au Website: https://www.anglicare.org.au/community/adoption/  

Please contact the Care Leavers Records and Archives: Phone: 0437 870 478 or (02) 9890 6800 Email: careleaversarchive@anglicare.org.au Website: https://www.anglicare.org.au/resources/policies-and-information/care-leavers-records/

This is a photograph of an empty dining room at Lynwood Hall. It shows a large room with five six-seater tables each set with a table cloth, cutlery, napkins, cups, jugs, and small vases of flowers. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is an extract from an Annual Report or similar, from the committee responsible for overseeing the Hostel for Girls, also known as Archibald House. The committee was made up of members of the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches.

Hillcrest Maternity Home in North Fremantle was opened by the Salvation Army in 1922. It continued the previous maternity home, which had been known as the ‘Open Door’ and ‘Hopetoun’. Young women who were wards of the state were admitted, and also private maternity patients. Many babies were adopted from Hillcrest. In 1974, maternity services ceased and the Home was used for aged care. Hillcrest was a maternity home in North Fremantle that was run by the Salvation Army. The hospital first opened in 1903 as ‘The Open Door’ maternity home at premises leased from Mr William A. Saw in Swan Street, North Fremantle. Newspaper articles at the time show that the name was chosen because the Salvation Army wanted to open the door to ‘unmarried mothers’ who might be shunned by society. In 1910 the hospital moved to Harvest Road, on a site previously occupied by the Salvation Army’s ‘Prison Gate’ service. The property next door, ‘Hill Crest’, was donated to the Maternity Home by Mrs Francis

This is an image of the front page of a booklet containing general information about Tahmoor Children’s Home and the objectives of the home.

This is an image of the first page of a programme about the Opening of the New Wing at The Fold – Marrickville.

This is a photograph showing girls diving into the swimming pool at Lynwood Hall. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of girls in the gardens of Lynwood Hall. It shows several girls wearing long purple dresses with white aprons and small sun hats or bonnets standing in gardens around a fountain. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of girls outside of Lynwood Hall. It shows six girls wearing blue dresses in the gardens in front of a large single-storey white rendered building. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph of girls in the main entrance hallway at Lynwood Hall. It shows two girls wearing yellow polo shirts and dark blue skirts looking at a bucket of over-sized yellow flowers in a hallway, in front of a large wooden and stained glass door. The hallway is decorated with several vases of flowers sitting on hall-stands, paintings, and a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of girls in the kitchen at Lynwood Hall. It shows two girls in white dresses with aprons and hair-covers working at the stove and oven in the Lynwood kitchen. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of girls at Lynwood Hall playing netball. It shows seven girls playing on a grass netball court, with houses and trees visible in the background. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

The Female Orphan School opened on 17 August 1801 in George Street, Sydney. It first housed 31 girls aged between seven and 14 years old, but by 1803 there were 103 inmates. In 1818, the girls were relocated to a new building on Arthur’s Hill (now Parramatta), and in 1819 the George Street site became the Male Orphan School. In 1850, the Female Orphan School and the Male Orphan School together became the Protestant Orphan School located at the site of the Female Orphan School. The Female Orphan School was opened in Lieutenant William Kent’s house on George Street, Sydney on 17 August 1801 with 31 girls. By 1803 the school had 3 times the number of girls and the need for bigger, purpose built premises was already apparent. The demand for places continued to grow and Governor Macquarie realised that the Female Orphan School required new, larger premises. The Governor laid the foundation stone for the new building of the Female Orphan School in 1813, in Parramatta. It was thought he

This is a photograph of girls in a classroom at Minda. It shows 10 girls seated in a classroom looking towards the blackboard, where a teacher is pointing to a map of Europe. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of a dormitory at Minda. It shows a large room with rows of single beds in groups of 10 separated by low walls. There is no other furniture visible, however there are several vases of flowers that were likely placed for the photo. Several girls are visible sitting on/standing between the beds. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing an aerial view of the Minda complex. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of the front entrance to Minda. It shows a single storey brick building with several cars parked in front, and a sign reading “Court Entrance. Child Guidance Clinic”. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

The Minda Remand Centre was opened in Lidcombe in May 1966, by the Child Welfare Department. It was a shelter and remand centre for children appearing before the children’s courts. Minda comprised a court and separate residential sections and schools for boys and girls aged between eight and 18, who stayed on average four weeks. In 1976, when Taldree opened, Minda became a facility for boys aged 18 to 20. In 1991 Minda became a Juvenile Justice Centre, under the control of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Minda was gazetted as a place of detention for children or young persons under the Child Welfare Act on 25 March 1966 and opened on 6 May. It was one of several remand homes (or shelters) in New South Wales where juveniles appearing before the courts could be held in custody. The word ‘Minda’ is an Aboriginal word that means ‘shelter’. In general, children or young persons were detained in shelters while awaiting transfer to an institution. Metropolitan shelters were a

Ritchie Home was opened as part of the Burnside Presbyterian Orphan Homes in November 1928 at North Parramatta. It remained a cottage home until 1941, when it closed.

This is a photograph showing five full lines of laundry hanging across the backyard of Myee. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing a woman holding a baby in the nursery at Myee Home for Babies. There is another baby in the cot next to the woman. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing a woman standing in front of Myee. It shows a two-storey brick building with bay windows at the front behind blue gates and a white picket fence with a sign reading ‘Myee’ on it. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph showing seven girls in a classroom at Kamballa. Four of the girls are sewing by hand, one is using a sewing machine, and two are weaving on looms. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

Child Migration to Australia refers to children who were sent to Australia unaccompanied under various migration schemes, and who had no family ties or contacts in Australia. Child migrants were generally aged between 7 and 14, although some were younger, and were sent to Australia from Britain and Malta under formal child immigration schemes. Although some children went to placements in private homes, the vast majority were placed in institutions such as orphanages or farm schools, where many experienced abuse of all kinds, lack of education and nurturing, overwork and physical labour, and loss of identity and connections to family. Child migration schemes involved non-government religious or charitable organisations working with the Imperial and Commonwealth governments. These organisations saw emigration as a means of creating opportunities for children in institutions in Britain, many of whom had been placed there because of family poverty or because their mothers were unmarrie

This is a YouTube video of a radio interview in 2019 on Talk Radio Europe with former child migrant Nigel Owen about his time at the Northcote Farm School in Bacchus Marsh.

This video is a news story about Petford Training Farm. The beginning of the video features an introductory segment by a show host which is followed by footage and interviews featuring Geoff Guest and Norma Perrot, the founders of the training farm. The video also includes scenes of a group of Australian Aboriginal youths working with horses, receiving lessons from Geoff, going for a horse ride, and participating in activities such as leatherwork, playfighting and meal times together.

This is a copy of the text of the speech given by Premier Jacinta Allan at the Apology to Victorians who experienced historical abuse and neglect as children in institutional care on 8 February 2024.

This is a youtube video that contains approximately one minute of footage of Turana from the early 1980s.

Glenn’s story is a short film by Arnold Zable from 1979. It features the story of 15 year old Glenn Broome who was in the maximum security section of Turana. In the film, Glenn also mentions his time in foster care, and the institutions Allambie and Baltara. Some of the scenes were shot at Turana.

This is a film made about Arthur Walker, born in 1925, who spent time in foster care and a number of Victorian institutions during his childhood.

This is a photograph of boys and a teacher in a classroom at St Heliers. It shows boys in uniforms sitting at single desks writing in workbooks. The teacher is standing over one of the students. On the chalkboard at the front of the is a detailed anatomical drawing of a fly, under the heading ‘Natural Science’. The date on the chalkboard appears to read 26th June 1963.

This is a photograph of buildings at the back of Karril Cottage. It shows a stand-alone brick building (possibly a workshop or classroom) at the end of a wide driveway, with an above-ground swimming pool next to it. The back of the cottage is just visible in front of the building. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice.

This is a photograph showing young children playing in a courtyard at McCredie Cottage. Some children are riding tricycles, some are playing with balls, and others are playing in a sandpit. Lynwood Hall is visible in the background. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a video which shows some staff and residents of Padua Hall in Kew. The video is undated but is likely to be from after 1960 when Padua Hall ceased operation as a hostel for former residents of Morning Star and other wards of state. Padua House later became Baraga House, a Slovenian Catholic Mission’s Religious and Cultural Centre Hostel, and was the “first stop” for many Slovenian men migrating to Melbourne.

This is a photograph showing the entrance to Endeavour House, also known as the Tamworth Institution for Boys. It shows a large arched doorway in a brick building, with the date 1879 carved into the stone above it. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of the boys dormitory at McCredie Cottage. It shows a large room with six beds with metal rails around the top end, each with a small bedside table next to them. The bedspreads, curtains, and runners on top of the bedside tables are all made from the same green, blue, and brown striped fabric. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of the girls dormitory at McCredie Cottage. It shows a large room with three beds with metal rails around the top end, each with a small bedside table next to them. The bedspreads, curtains, and runners on top of the bedside tables are all made from the same orange, yellow, and brown striped fabric. There are dolls on each of the beds, and doll prams and cots around the edge of the room. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

Find and Connect was established to help Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants understand more about their past and about the historical context of child welfare in Australia. We assist people who spent time in an orphanage, children’s homes or foster care in Australia.  We cannot directly assist with family history research. Historical Child Welfare Records If your ancestor or relative encountered the child welfare system, for example was in an institution, in out-of-home or foster care, or was adopted, most state archives provide guides on searching the welfare records they hold: NSW historical child welfare records information

McCredie Cottage was established in 1970 by the Child Welfare Department. It was located on the property of Linnwood Hall (or Lynwood Hall) in Holroyd, south of Guildford, in New South Wales. McCredie Cottage was a home for about 27 preschool aged children who were state wards, and who were waiting to be placed in permanent foster care. Children from the Northern Territory were also sent here. It closed in 1993. McCredie cottage was opened on 17 July 1970, to accommodate 26 preschool aged children, all wards of the state. A Child Welfare Department report states that the building was the ‘first cottage home to be specially designed and constructed for preschool children’. The report contained the following description of the philosophy behind the design of the building: The needs of the children have received special consideration in the architecture, such that the home, which is in fact quite extensive, never gives the impression to its true size … proportions and pe

This is a photograph of children in what appears to be a playroom at McCredie Cottage. It shows six children sitting at desks with toys or books in front of them, one at a play kitchen bench, and one playing with a wooden train set on the floor. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of McCredie Cottage. It shows several large, connected brick buildings behind a wooden fence that reads ‘McCredie Cottage’. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This photograph shows a boy operating a radio at Endeavour House/Institution for Boys, Tamworth, likely running an in-house radio program. It shows a boy in a small room sitting at a desk and speaking into a microphone while surrounded by cassettes, albums, posters, and various playback devices. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a photograph of boys playing cricket in the courtyard at Endeavour House/Institution for Boys, Tamworth. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

This is a view of the courtyard at Endeavour House/Institution for Boys, Tamworth, viewed from behind a tall barred fence. It shows a two-storey building with a series of small windows running along it (likely the windows to the cell blocks) looking over a narrow courtyard ending with a high brick wall. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

Aboriginal Protection is a term that was commonly used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to describe the policies and laws that regulated the lives of Aboriginal people. From the 1880s Aboriginal people in Western Australia, including children, were controlled by specific Protection Acts. From the 1930s, the central aim of these Acts was to assimilate Aboriginal people into the white population, mainly by removing children from their families and placing them in Homes. These powers were reduced in 1963, and repealed in 1972. Aboriginal protection from the nineteenth century aimed to both ‘civilise’ Aboriginal people through contact and integration with white society, and also to segregate them on specially created reserves or missions. Humanitarians mostly argued for the protection of Aboriginal people through separation: reserves and missions served both as asylums where traditional culture would disappear, and as reforming insitutions where Aborigines could be converted to

This is a photograph of the cellblock at Endeavour House/Institution for Boys, Tamworth. It shows a hallway with six cell doors on either side, each with a small pile of clothing sitting ext to them. There is a second floor visible at the top of the image, with a safety net dividing the top and bottom floors. This photograph is part of a collection of photographs from children’s Homes and Institutions held by the NSW Department of Community Justice. This photo is undated, the date included is an estimate.

The Catherine Booth Girls’ Home was established by the Salvation Army in 1915 in ‘Blackhall’ mansion, East Kew. The Home accommodated girls aged between 4 and 16. The Catherine Booth Girls’ Home closed in 1976. The Catherine Booth Girls’ Home was situated at 26 Sackville Street, East Kew, in a mansion known as Blackhall. The Home was named after Catherine Booth and her husband William, the founders of the Salvation Army. The first girls to move into the Catherine Booth Home were those from the recently closed Glenroy Girls’ Home. In November 1955, Catherine Booth Girls’ Home was declared an approved children’s home under the Children’s Welfare Act 1954. The East Kew Home accommodated about 90 to 100 girls. During the mid 1950s attempts were made to convert the large scale dormitories to smaller unit accommodation. In the 1960s, the Home began accepting boys aged 2 to 8 years, to keep siblings together. By 1969, its capacity ha