The Menzies Home for Boys, history in brief
Early years
In 1865, a Ragged Boys Mission was established by citizens in La Trobe Street Melbourne. This mission also operated The Seaside Home, a holiday home in Frankston.In 1924, the Mission's Melbourne operations closed, and the boys transferred to Frankston. The Seaside Home was then renamed Minton Boys Home after the founder of the Ragged Boys Mission. Minton Boys Home was non-denominational, and operated under a committee of management.
The home had three large dormitories each with 24 beds, and two smaller dormitories of 12 beds each. Minton provided for itself, with a vegetable garden, dairy herd and poultry. An Education Department primary school operated in the grounds. Older boys attended local secondary schools. Minton also had a hostel in William Street, Frankston for young men with jobs.By 1939, Minton Boys Home housed approximately 100 boys aged four to 14 years. Many had high needs and intellectual disabilities.
From 1950s
By 1955, capacity had been reduced to 75 boys, and by 1957, to 55 boys. In 1961 the Menzies Boys Home began planning for the introduction of family group homes for children of both sexes and changed its name to Menzies Home for Children.
In 1965, after the old site was demolished, a new administrative building was established on the Nepean Highway, Frankston. Six scattered units in Frankston now housed 47 children aged three to 16, and a separate hostel provided accommodation for another 10 older boys. Over the next years, further family group homes were established, including a cottage in Mount Eliza for six children with disability, which operated until 1983 before being converted to a family group home.Most children in the family group homes were wards of state, although a small number were private placements. They were aged from newborn to 18 years.
Later years
In 1987, one of the Menzies family group homes became the Minton emergency care facility. A second emergency care facility, Hillview opened in 1989.Other programs and services initiated by the Menzies Homes for Children included:
• 1983, an early adolescent unit at Seaford
• 1989, a transition to independent living unit in Frankston for 15–17-year-olds
• 1994–99, the Seaford Flats Project of free-standing flats clustered around an existing family group home for young people from 15–19 years
In 2001, the agency changed its name to Menzies Inc. reflecting the shift to providing a broader range of youth and family services, as well as residential care for children and young people.
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 & .
Sources
- Guide to out-of-home care services 1940–2000: volume one – agency descriptions, compiled by James Jenkinson Consulting, North Melbourne, November 2001.
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 home (c.1930–c.1985)
File; Permanent (VPRS Number 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 Menzies Home for Boys are dated from 1938–86 and include:
- correspondence regarding funding, 1938–39, 1941, 1975
- correspondence regarding admission and withdrawal of wards and other children, complaint that withdrawal interferes with education, absconding 1939–40
- statement of boys withdrawn from Minton Boys' Home during period 1 July 1938–39
- correspondence regarding application for declaration of an establishment as an approved children's home, multiple premises, 1955, 1963–65, 1983
- documents regarding application for declaration of three family group homes operated by the Menzies Homes for Children as approved Children's Homes, 1965
- reports and correspondence on allegations, incidents and complaints, 1940, 1945, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1968, 1984
- lists of boys, 1940, 1943, 1959
- inspector’s report (some with wards’ names) including the following topics: accommodation; facilities; conditions; outfitting of children, health; discipline (including corporal punishment and denial of privilege); change to cottage and family group home accommodation, schooling; absconding; disabled facilities and so on. The dates of the reports were for the years 1941, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967
- staffing issues and staff changes, 1948 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1965,
- application and granting of declaration as approved children’s home, 1955
- medical assessments and treatment, school medical service, dental care, whooping cough, includes some names of children/wards, 1944–48
- complaints re clothing of wards, 1941, 1944, 1945
- schooling arrangements, 1956
- name change of home from Minton to Menzies, 1946
- proposed rebuilding of Menzies Boys Homes, 1959
- proposals for and opening of family group homes, 1963–83
- proposal to close Oliver’s Hill property and open family group homes in the Frankston area, 1964
- possible closure of family group homes in Dandenong, 1975
- report on pilot scheme for Menzies Children’s Homes, c.1977
- organisational change to cottages, family group homes and adolescent units, 1959–1979
- correspondence regarding capital developments (1979–80) and long term future of the organisation, 1986
- press clippings, c.1965, 1971, 1975, 1979.
Staffing Priorities Committee, homes and hostels files (1976–83)
File; TemporaryContent: This collection comprised 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 Menzies home for Boys dates 1976–79.
Staffing Priorities Committee, homes and hostels, correspondence, guidelines for operation and minutes of meetings (1976–80)
File; UnappraisedContent: The material includes 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.
Family Welfare Division funding and accounts files (1971–77)
File; Temporary
Content: These accounts and funding files are for individual children’s homes, and were used to make funding allocations to the homes. They contain a monthly census giving names and dates of birth to calculate per capita expenses. There are annual reports of homes, income statements, reports on conditions of homes as assessed on visits. The records are arranged in a broad chronological order.
The specific file(s) relating to this home date from 1971–75.
Reviewed 25 August 2016