Cecil Street Cottage

Cecil Street Cottage was a children’s Cottage Home run by the Anglican Church of Australia. It was located in Rostrevor and is believed to have opened in the 1980s and closed some time in the mid 1990s. As with other Cottage Homes, Cecil Street Cottage was designed to accommodate around eight to ten children in a home-like atmosphere. The dates of operation for Cecil Street Cottage are currently unknown.

During the 1970s and 1980s the government encouraged non-government care providers to move away from large institutions and develop smaller group residential care for children in need. After the passing of the Community Welfare Act in 1972, non-government agencies were required to sign agreements with the government and to adhere to standards of residential care.

During the 1980s the Anglican Church opened a number of cottages and units in various areas. These included Cecil Street Cottage which was located at Rostrevor. As with other Cottage Homes, Cecil Street Cottage was designed to accommodate around eight to ten children in a home-like atmosphere which potentially allowed for more individual attention. From the Annual Reports of Anglican Child Care Services it appears most Anglican Cottage Homes closed around 1995-96. More research is required to confirm details of locations, opening and closing dates and purposes of the various cottages.