The State Psychological Clinic, the first in Australia, was set up under the Mental Deficiency Act 1920 to diagnose and classify children with what is now known as intellectual disability, research it, and instruct teachers. The Clinic’s statutory existence ended in December 1964 following the passage of the Mental Health Act 1963 but since its…
The Guardianship Board, established by the Mental Health Act of 1963, replaced the Mental Deficiency Board in 1963. Its purpose was to assume the guardianship of people with an intellectual disability or mental illness. It also advised the Minister about the care, treatment and occupations of people suffering from an intellectual disability or psychiatric illness….
The Mental Deficiency Board was established in 1922 by the 1920 Mental Deficiency Act. It oversaw the classification and management of children and adults deemed to have an intellectual disability. The Board supervised a number of state wards in conjunction with the Children of the State, and later, the Social Services Departments. The Guardianship Board…
The Hobart Benevolent Society was originally formed in 1832 but has run continuously since 1859. It was, and remains, a Protestant organisation that assisted people in poverty. Between 1880 and 1881, it managed the boarding out system. In 2014, it is managed by Uniting Care. The Hobart Benevolent Society based its approach to charity on…
The Hobart City Mission was founded in 1852. Its brief was to spread the gospel to non-church goers in inner city working class communities. The Hobart City Mission is still active. Like the London City Mission, Hobart City Missioners were Protestant but non-denominational. They saw working class communities as a mission field because they seemed…
The Churches of Christ are a network of charismatic Protestant churches that provide mutual support while accepting the differences between them. The first Tasmanian Church opened in 1865. The Church became known as the Disciples of Christ in 1885 and the Churches of Christ in 1915. The Churches of Christ in Tasmania ran Bethany Boys’…
St Joseph’s Child Care Centre replaced St Joseph’s Orphanage (Aikenhead House), opening on 22 February 1970. It was located in Taroona and run by the Sisters of Charity. The Centre provided cottage accommodation for 30 children in three cottages, and also supervised the Family Group Homes of Villa Maria, Loreto, Carinya, and later, Bimbadeen. In…
The Convict Department was established in 1818. It managed Tasmania’s convict system, and after transportation ceased in 1853, people who had been in the system. The Department closed in 1877. After Tasmania became self-governing in 1856, the Convict Department was part of the Imperial, as distinct from Colonial, establishment and was directly responsible to the…
The Board of Guardians Queens Asylum was established in 1862. It had the guardianship and legal control of the children placed in the Queen’s Orphan Asylum. The Board was abolished in 1879, when the Asylum closed. The Queen’s Asylum Act of 1861 established the Board of Guardians. This coincided with the transfer of administration of…
Launceston Girls’ Home replaced the Launceston Girls’ Industrial School in 1921. It was run by a volunteer ladies’ committee and an advisory council of five men. The Home accommodated girls between the ages of two and 16. It closed in 1989. Launceston Girls’ Home was a non-denominational Protestant home. Its new name was an attempt…
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