St Anne's Orphanage

St Anne’s Orphanage was a children’s home that was opened at George Street Liverpool in 1888 by the Sisters of Charity. It was dedicated principally to the care of girls, although young boys were occasionally admitted. The Orphanage was relocated to smaller premises at Medley Street Liverpool in 1970 and continued to receive children until the end of 1977.

Children could be admitted for short term or long term care, in a variety of circumstances. Usually, the children returned to their relatives, although sometimes they may have been discharged to foster or adoptive parents, unless they remained in the institution until the age of sixteen when they then moved on to independent living.

From the late 1960s until 1977, as a result of the trend against institutionalised care, children admitted to St Anne’s were often placed into ‘group homes’ in West Ryde, Dundas, Liverpool and Cabramatta, in the care of a House Mother or Cottage Parents. These group homes were run by St Anne’s.

During 1978 no children were taken into care by the Sisters of Charity, while the Order re-evaluated its future involvement in this area of ministry in Liverpool. In the meantime, the St Vincent de Paul Society took possession of the Medley Avenue property and apparently set up a Youth Crisis Accommodation Centre there, called St Anne’s; this was not related to the child care ministry of the Sisters of Charity in any way.

Early in 1979, a property at 9 Loloma Street, Cabramatta, which had been one of the group homes conducted by St Anne’s Orphanage as of 1971, was set up by the Sisters of Charity as an Emergency Centre. It became known as the St Anne’s Children’s (Emergency) Centre, Cabramatta, and continued to offer emergency care for children until 1985 when the Sisters of Charity withdrew entirely from this area of ministry. The Loloma Street property was purchased by the Department of Youth and Community Services in 1986.