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Glossary Term Absconding (1844 - )
- From
- 1844
- Categories
- Glossary Term and Term commonly found on child welfare records
- Alternative Names
- Absconded
Summary
It was not uncommon for children in 'care' to run away from an institution. The Child Welfare Department in WA called this 'absconding'. From about 1935 to around 1966, the numbers of children who 'absconded' from institutions was reported in the Department's Annual Reports to Parliament.
Details
The first piece of legislation to deal with running away was 'Aboriginal girls protection 1844'. This assumed that a girl would not run away from school or a service position unless she was 'persuaded' or 'enticed'. Thirty years later, the 'Industrial Schools Act 1874' (s.15) made 'escaping' from an industrial school a criminal offence if the child who ran away was a 'youthful offender' (someone who had been sent to the institution because they were found guilty of an offence against the law). The Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1893 extended this offence to include all children who ran away from an industrial or reformatory school, regardless of the circumstances that led to their placement. Children or young people who ran away could be whipped or have their terms extended. Penalties continued to be levied against adults who helped absconders.
Related Entries
Publications
Journal Articles
- Ackland, John W, 'Institutional Reactions to Absconding', The British Journal of Social Work, vol. 11, no. 1, 1981, pp. 171-187. Details
Reports
- Western Australia. Child Welfare Department, Annual Report of the Child Welfare Department, Child Welfare Department, Perth [W.A.], 1929-1972. Details
Online Resources
- 'Submission No. 231 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 2 September 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 441 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 12 August 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 438 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 17 August 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 414 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 15 July 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 375 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 1 March 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 365 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 25 March 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- 'Submission No. 257 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 17 March 2005, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- Department for Community Development, State of Western Australia, 'Submission No. 55 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, July 2003, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
- Foster, Darren J, 'Submission No. 347 Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care: Submissions', in Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care - Submissions received by the committee as at 17/3/05, Senate Community Affairs Committee, Commonwealth of Australia, 3 April 2004, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/submissions/sublist.htm. Details
Gallery
- Title
- Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1893
- Type
- Document
- Date
- 13 January 1893
- Control
- 1893 (56 Vict. No. 5)
- Source
- State Law Publisher of Western Australia
Sources used to compile this entry: Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1893 [Document], Date: 13 January 1893.
Prepared by: Debra Rosser
Created: 23 December 2011, Last modified: 28 February 2013
Last updated: 22 March 2013
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/wa/biogs/WE00490b.htm
First published by the Find and Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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