Resurrection House history in brief
In 1952, Resurrection House was established by a Polish order of Roman Catholic nuns in Essendon.
The facility was run as a day and boarding school for boys and girls, with about 10 wards in residence at any time. Resurrection House was registered under both infant life protection and approved children's homes provisions.
Originally the home had capacity for 80 children and 32 day students, reduced to 60 in the mid-1960s.
In 1971, the approved children's home function was terminated and accepted no more wards.
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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.
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
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 Resurrection House is dated from 1957–71 and includes:
File VH-065/78:
- file note, irregular payment of allowances to Resurrection House, 1957
- application for and approval of declaration as an approved children’s home, 1957
- application for support for a ward, 1957
- inspectors’ reports, some including infant life protection and state ward children’s names, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969
- correspondence, wards residing in home after commencing employment, 1963
- medical care for two wards, 1963
- correspondence regarding boarding out arrangements for wards over 16 years, 1964
- accommodation problems at Allambie and placement for wards from there, 1964
- allowances for school uniforms, 1966
- holiday hosts and placements, 1971
- correspondence regarding closure in December 1971 of Resurrection House, 1971.
Reviewed 10 August 2016