The Woodville Assessment Unit opened in Woodville in 1990. Run by the Department for Family and Community Services, it provided short term, smaller group care for State children. During 1991-92 it took over part of the role of the Clarence Park Assessment Unit. In 1992 it was renamed the Woodville Community Unit.
During the 1970s to 1980s, the department used smaller residential care units for State children rather than large institutions. Admission Units provided short term crisis care; Assessment Units were used for teenage young offenders and other units provided therapeutic care for children with specific needs. Community Units provided longer term care and also assisted young people to move gradually back into the community.
In the 1990s, however, due to a lack of availability of foster care or residential care placements, children as young as eight were often placed in the same units as young people in their upper teens.
In 1992 the Woodville Assessment Unit was renamed the Woodville Community Unit.
1990 - 1992 Woodville Assessment Unit
1992 - 1993 Woodville Community Unit
Sources used to compile this entry: George, Karen, Finding your own way, Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc., 2005, http://nunku.org.au/resources/; Mullighan, the Hon E.P., Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry: Allegations of sexual abuse and death from criminal conduct, presented to the South Australian Parliament by the Hon. E.P. Mullighan QC, Commisioner, Children in State Care Commission of Enquiry, Adelaide, South Australia, 2008, 564 pp, https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/107201/children-in-state-care-commission-of-inquiry-introducation.pdf; Annual report of the Department for Family and Community Services, 1992/93.
Prepared by: Karen George and Gary George
Created: 18 February 2011, Last modified: 15 May 2018
Last updated: 7 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/sa/biogs/SE00234b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License