RVIB history in brief
In 1866 the Victorian Asylum and School for the Blind was established. In 1891, it was re-named the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind.
It was the first institution of its type in Australia.
In 1868, it opened a home and school to accommodate 120 children and adults.
In 2004 the Royal Blind Society, the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, Vision Australia Foundation and the National Information and Library Service merged to become: Vision Australia. Works by these bodies are found under the name used at the time of publication.
Warning about distressing information
This guide contains information that some people may find distressing. If you experienced abuse as a child or young person in an institution mentioned in this guide, it may be a difficult reading experience. Guides may also contain references to previous views, policies and practices that are regrettable and do not reflect the current views, policies or practices of the department or the State of Victoria. If you find this content distressing, please consult with a support person either from the Department of Health and Human Services or another agency.
Disclaimer
Please note that the content of this administrative history is provided for general information only and does not purport to be comprehensive. The department does not guarantee the accuracy of this administrative history. For more information on the history of child welfare in Australia, see Find & .
Source
List of records held by the department
For information relating to the central management of care leavers and wards of state, please consult the guide to Central department wardship and out-of-home care records. These collections date back to the 1860s and include ward registers, index cards and ward files.
Voluntary children’s homes files (c.1930-c.85)
File; Permanent VPRS Number 18069/P0001 and 18069/P0002
Content: The files record interaction between the various voluntary homes and the government. This filing system was created in 1975, combining earlier correspondence and other records to create one system with ‘VH’ prefixes.
The specific files relating to the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind are dated from 1972–84 and include:
file VH-063:
- correspondence regarding holiday placements for wards, with names of wards, parents and individual or institutional hosts, 1972–1975
- correspondence regarding placements of children at RVB, 1972–75
file VH-063-1:
- annual report 1979–80
- summary of services provided and lists of first names of children attending integrated group, kinder group and toddler group, undated, c.1979
file VH-063-2:
- correspondence regarding holiday placements for wards, with names of wards, parents and individual or institutional hosts, 1976–78
- correspondence regarding annual grants, 1978
- reports on several children, 1977, 1979
- submission to open a family group home 24 Andrews Street, Box Hill South, 1979
- correspondence relating to proposed family group home and eligible children, 1980
- report, background, funding of the proposed family group home, 1980
- minutes of meeting between the department and Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, 1980
- correspondence and report on funding and funding eligibility, 1980–81
- correspondence re reimbursement of costs incurred for a ward, 1981
- application of per-capita payments, 1981
- correspondence for named wards of state, 1981
- application and approval of declaration as an approved children’s home, 333 Burwood Highway, Burwood, 1981
- details of wards residing in registered nursing unit at Burwood, 1981
- proposal of establishing a second family group home and failure of bid for funding, 1981–82
- correspondence re cuts in government expenditure, 1983
- application and approval for declaration of 7 Lowen Road, Glen Waverley and 3 Shelley Court, Ashwood, as approved children’s homes as community based residential units, 1984.
Reviewed 26 August 2016