Cortona Hostel history in brief
In 1974, Cortona Hostel was established by Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Catholic Family Welfare Bureau. The residence provided hostel services for up to seven girls and women, 16–36 years, who had been released from Fairlea Women’s Prison, Winlaton and other correctional facilities.
Cortona prepared the girls and women to return to the community through counselling, group meetings, activity nights, outings, and help finding suitable work and permanent accommodation. They were encouraged to continue their education via the Fitzroy Vocation Centre and the Inner City Learning Exchange.
Cortona also provided support to them after leaving Cortona.
In 1976, management of the hostel was taken over by the Sister of the Good Shepherd.
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 & .
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.
Staffing Priorities Committee, homes and hostels files (1976–83)
File ; Temporary
Content: This collection comprises files documenting the recommendations for staffing positions for homes and hostels, correspondence between the Minister of Community Welfare Services and senior officers as well as funding information. The Staffing Priorities Committee made recommendations to the minister regarding priority of staffing positions required.
Individual homes and hostels are listed accompanied by comprehensive material concerning each home, family group home or hostel.
There are also minutes from the approved children's homes and hostels meetings from 1978–80.
The specific file relating to Cortona Hostel dates from the year 1977.
Note that these records have had all permanent material removed and placed into the collection listed below.
Staffing Priorities Committee, homes and hostels, correspondence, guidelines for operation and minutes of meetings (1976–80)
File ; Unappraised
Content: This collection contains the permanent material removed from the collection listed above. These records comprise ministerial correspondence, and Staffing Priority Committee minutes and list of members.
The Staffing Priorities Committee made recommendations to the minister regarding priority of staffing positions required.
Reviewed 24 April 2019