Clarendon Clinic history in brief
In 1958, Clarendon Clinic, a psychiatric clinic to serve the people in Fitzroy, Collingwood and Richmond, was established in a redesigned church at 52 Albert Street, East Melbourne, making use of its vestry, church hall and an adjacent house. The church was converted into a therapeutic workshop and the vestry into four consulting rooms.
Clarendon Clinic was an important part of community rehabilitation for long-stay patients – to transition patients who were rehabilitated and eligible for community care, but unable to earn a living or find accommodation. Many still needed some medical care, and their own medical staff visited them at Clarendon Clinic.
The clinic offered a therapeutic workshop where patients could earn money through various light assembly tasks. The Ministry of Labour and National Service helped evaluate the work performed by patients and helped prepare them for employment when ready. The clinic also provided supervised short- and long-stay hostels, and ran a weekly social club.
Relatives, friends, hostel supervisors or social agencies also consulted the clinic for advice in relation to former patients now living in the community. By 1975, Clarendon Clinic was providing long-term follow-up for ex-hospital patients who needed a psychiatrist rather than a general practitioner. In this role, the clinic acted as a hospital outpatient service.
Clarendon Clinic continued to function as an outpatient clinic until the closure of the psychiatric hospitals in the 1990s. It is now under the umbrella of St. Vincent's Hospital (Melbourne) Limited.
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 & .
Patient information
PLEASE NOTE: Patients could be admitted to a Receiving House for short-term treatment and care, but were not permitted to remain longer than two months.
Patients still needing treatment after two months could be sent to a Psychiatric Hospital, in the same institution/complex or another. Hence, there could be more than one set of records for any one person. Please check each location for former patient records.
Source
- Agency history is from the department’s collated histories.
- Charles Brothers Historical Records collection, 1862–1995
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.
Patient case histories (1956-94)
File; Temporary
Content: These records record a patient’s condition and treatment while receiving counselling and or medication from the clinic. The clinic treated individuals and family groups.
The files contain a patient information sheet giving personal details and case notes by the person treating them, including: name; date of birth; next of kin; case notes of the person treating them; personal description; patients problems; referring person; patients comments on their situation; treatment plan; correspondence.
The file cover provides a history of admissions and discharges to clinics and psychiatric institutions.
Reviewed 10 August 2016