Our Children’s Home

Information courtesy of NSW State Records:

The Society for Providing Homes for Neglected Children was established in October 1887 when Mr K.F. Oliver donated a house and land at Liverpool for use as a home for orphaned or neglected children. The Society was “undenominational, but distinctly Christian in character, it being founded on the principles and teachings of the New Testament” and was to “remove these (neglected) children (without regard to creed or colour) from their surroundings and to train them in the fear of God, and in the principles of obedience, honesty and industry, and thereby, to give them a chance for this life, and for life which is to come”.

In 1918 the property at Liverpool was sold and a property acquired at 132 Davidson Avenue, North Strathfield.

In 1973 “Our Children’s Home” was licensed to care for 25 children, but this was reviewed and reduced to 10 children in 1981. In September 1982 the home was closed due to the diminishing level of donations to the Society, the effect of policies of the Department of Youth and Community Services in reducing the number of children permitted to reside at the home which diminished the level of assistance available from the Department, the policy of restoring children to families as soon as practicable, the difficulty of securing suitable staff, and the necessity for extensive alterations to premises to meet licensing standards.

This file contains: reports of alleged neglect and mistreatment of children; correspondence; field officers’ reports and periodical reports dealing with care, diets and accommodation of children; reviews of licence; matters regarding the care of children under 7; the death of a child in the home; and the closure of the home and amendments to the constitution of the Society.

This description is extracted from Concise Guide to the State Archives of New South Wales, 3rd Edition 2000.