Register of Wards of State

The Register of Wards of State contains information about every child who became a ward of state between 1897 and 1989. The Register includes the name, the age or date of birth, the cause of committal, the town or locality of origin, the date of admission, the level of education, the amount of maintenance the parents were expected to pay, and where the Department placed the child. Between 1897 and 1955, each child received a case number which is also given in the Register. The register is held by Tasmanian Archives.

Access Conditions

Closed D75 years

D75 means these records are closed to the general public for 75 years from the date of the last entry in them. People wishing to access these records should contact Adoptions and Permanency Services After Care Support Program, which is run by the Department of Communities Tasmania. Applicants will be required to fill out a Personal Information Protection (PIP) form. How access is provided once permission is granted will depend on the file. Usually Adoption and Permanency Services request it back and then provide access or copies. Staff at the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office may be able to assist you in finding other relevant records.

Records

The Register is in four parts. The first three parts are titled with the case numbers listed within them, the last part has no title. The parts are:

• 1-1799 [Dated 1897-1919]
• 1780-4350 [Dated 1919-1939]
• 4351-5819 [Dated 1939-1967]
• No Title [Dated 1967-1989]

Tasmanian Archives also hold an index to the register, organised by child’s name, to assist with identifying relevant pages.