In 1995 the Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) became responsible for dealing with children placed in the care of the state. This child welfare ‘function’ has been the responsibility of many different government agencies in Victoria since 1864. Most records of the predecessor agencies of DHS remained in the custody of DHS. Other records were held by Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). On 1 January 2015 the Department of Human Services ceased to exist and its functions were transferred to the new Department of Health & Human Services (DHSS).