Agency history in brief
In 1977, Melbourne Family Care Organisation (MFCO) reduce its residential program.
MFCO established Dandenong Valley Family Care (later Windermere Child and Family Services), Upper Murray Family Care and Mallee Family Care in conjunction with local welfare interest groups.
Each of these agencies became incorporated and legally independent after an initial establishment phase (see separate entries).
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
Guide to out-of-home care services 1940–2000: volume one – agency descriptions, compiled by James Jenkinson Consulting, North Melbourne, November 2001 [extract from the entry relating to
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.1985)
File ; Permanent (VPRS Number 18069/P0001)
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 file relating to Dandenong Valley Family Care dates from 1978–84 and includes:
File VH 124 1:
- correspondence regarding phasing down quantity of residential care in the east and introducing service known as Dandenong Family Care, 1978
- submission of statistics and seeking conversion funds to develop homes in Westernport Region and Upper Murray, 1981
- documentation including correspondence, costings, staffing funding, minutes of meeting, develop joint working agreement for a Westernport early adolescent unit at 31 Pickett Street, Dandenong, 1982–84
Reviewed 10 August 2016