Records of the South Australian Youth and Children's Courts, State Records of South Australia

The records of the South Australian Children’s and Youth Courts contain case files and records about children and young people who had cases before the courts. The files can relate to children and young people who were in the process of being made wards of the state, who were being adopted, or who were charged with offences. Children who were subject to ‘In Need of Care’ cases were placed under the guardian of the Minister responsible for child welfare for the duration of the hearing, and may have been made a ward of the State as a result of the hearing. Further information about child welfare cases may be found in the Child Welfare Records and Client Files of the Social Welfare Departments. Further information about adoption cases may be found in the adoption files created by the State Children’s Department.

Access Conditions

Access to these files is restricted in order to protect personal privacy. People mentioned in these records have a right to access information about themselves. To request access to these records please contact the Registry of the Youth Court of South Australia.

Records

Adoption files, numerical series – Adelaide Local Court, later Youth Court of South Australia, 1926-1988 (GRS/7111)

This series contains records created for adoption hearings held at the Adelaide courts. They include adoptions orders issued by Magistrates, as well as the names of adoptive parents, birth name of the child, and other notes in relation to the adoption. These files can sometimes include birth certificates of adopted children, and may contain more information than is available in the adoption files created by the State Children’s Department.

Adoption files, annual single number series – Youth Court of South Australia, 1988-2011 (GRS/10635)

This series contains applications to adopt and adoption orders for the adoption of children from both overseas and within Australia. The records include reports on the applicants created by the Family and Youth Services Department following interviews with them, as well as recommendations from the Department that the adoption proceeds.

Case files, annual single number series – Youth Court, 1978-2014 (GRS/11475)

This series contains case files for children and young people who had hearings in court for both minor and major offences, as well as a small number of ‘In Need of Care’ and criminal injuries compensation case files. The case files include complaints, court summons, offence reports, transcripts of interviews and court proceedings, correspondence, referrals, photographs, recognizance, affidavits, orders, applications, and reasons for judgement. Most case files for cases heard before 1982 were destroyed according to records disposal advice at the time. A small number of files dating from 1978 survived by chance.

‘In Need of Care’ case files, annual single number series – Adelaide Children’s Court, 1984-1987 (GRS/13762)

This series contains case files for children who had an application lodged by the Department of Community Welfare declaring that they were in need of care. The Case files include details and final orders of the court hearings where these cases were presented, and can also include applications to vary or revoke these declarations.

Care and Protection Files – Youth Court, 1989-2003 (GRS/10636)

This series contains case files relating to children who had Care and Protection Orders made for them by the Youth Court.

Family conference files, annual single number series with ‘FCREG’ prefix – Youth Court, 1994-2014 (GRS/11407)

This series contains records from family conferences conducted for children and young people who had admitted to committing a minor offence and had their case referred to the Youth Court. The conferences were held as an alternative to traditional hearings through the court system.

Family care meeting case files, annual single number with ‘CPREG’ prefix – Youth Court of South Australia, 1995-2014 (GRS/11697)

This series contains records from family care meetings held with families where Families SA identified Care and Protection concerns for children. The meetings were intended to enable the family and Families SA to create a plan for the children and young people, and can include input from extended family members, community members, close family friends, Families SA representatives, and child protection workers. Records include reports, correspondence, outcomes of court hearings and decisions from meetings.