Orana Family Services was established in Coolaroo in 1988. It was formerly based in Burwood and was known as Orana, the Peace Memorial Homes for Children. From 1988, services were transferred to Coolaroo. In 1990, two family group homes and two specialist houses moved from Burwood to Coolaroo.
Orana Family Services was established in Melbourne's outer north-west in 1988. It was formerly based in Burwood and was known as Orana, the Peace Memorial Homes for Children. The name change reflected the extension of Orana into providing non-residential and family services, such as counselling and educational support, plus the organisation's relocation to Coolaroo.
The transition to Coolaroo began in 1988 and residential services moved two years later. In 1990, two family group homes and two specialist houses moved from Burwood to Coolaroo. One of the specialist houses operated as a Primary Age service for six children. These children had attended schools with specialised services in Burwood and the move meant they had to adjust to mainstream schooling.
Orana Family Services continued to run a family group home in Waverley and a respite service, Gwenalan, until 1992. On 30 June 2011, Orana Family Services ceased being a provider of residential care. The remaining homes and children in its programme were transferred to Wesley Mission.
1888 - 1891 Livingstone House
1891 - c. 1953 Methodist Homes for Children
1953 - 1988 Orana, the Peace Memorial Homes for Children
1988 - 2011 Orana Family Services
2011 - 2012 Orana UnitingCare
2012 - 2017 Lentara UnitingCare
2017 - Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania) Limited
Sources used to compile this entry: Annual report: Orana Family Services, 1988-1993.
Prepared by: Sarah Green and Cate O'Neill
Created: 5 February 2009, Last modified: 3 September 2013
Last updated: 7 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/vic/biogs/E000012b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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