Records related to Church of England Social Welfare Bureau (1947 - 1991)

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Access Conditions

Former residents of the children's homes of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide and Church of England, or members of their families, can apply to the Diocesan Archivist to be provided with information and/or copies of records relevant to their time in care. Physical access to the historical records of the children's Homes or the church's Social Welfare Bureau is not permitted due to the fragility of the material and the need to protect the privacy of third parties.

Records

The Social Welfare Bureau acted as a liaison and support for staff at the Anglican children's Homes assisting with matters such as social work services, admissions, discharges and transfers. Children admitted to the diocesan children's Homes were sometimes, but not always, clients of the Social Welfare Bureau.

Social Welfare Bureau Case Registers, 1947-1954

These registers were created by Social Welfare Bureau staff to record details of clients and actions taken. They are arranged chronologically in order of cases, and indexed by surname. They record information including name, address or contact details, source of referral, the nature of the request, sometimes family details, details of follow-up correspondence or meetings, and notes on actions taken. Some records include correspondence, forms or other paperwork pasted or pinned into the register. The registers include, though they are not limited to, child clients and/or their families.

(This series was previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Church of England Social Welfare case registers (1947 - 1954)).

Social Welfare Bureau Index Cards, 1947-1965 (majority of records date from 1947-1953)

These cards were created for clients of the Church of England Social Welfare Bureau. They record a range of information including name, address, date upon which case opened, referring body (which may be government, another social service, or self-referral), details of need identified and of action taken, sometimes contextual information about other family members or about specific reasons for need; date case closed. These cards are not limited to, but do include, child clients and their families. Two cards from a later series, dating to 1962 and 1965 respectively, were at some time added to this record set.

(This series was previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Card Index - Church of England Social Welfare Bureau client files (1945 - 1949)).

Social Welfare Bureau Index Cards - Child Cards, 1947-1982

These cards were created for children whose cases were brought to the Social Welfare Bureau, and/or their families. They record a range of information including name, address, date upon which case opened, source of referral, details of the case and of action taken, date of case closure. They typically include contextual information about other family members, ages and/or dates of birth. Some cards have correspondence, forms or other paperwork attached.

(This series was previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Card Index - Church of England Social Welfare client files - Children (1948 - 1980)).

Social Welfare Client Files Card Index - Unmarried Mothers - 1955-1970

This card index was created by the Social Welfare Bureau for unmarried mothers. It consists of small file cards with basic information and notes related to individuals who sought assistance from the Bureau. They record a range of information including name, address, date, registration number, referral, request and notes. The cards are filed alphabetically.

(This series was previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Card Index - Church of England Social Welfare client files - Unmarried mothers (1955 - 1970)).

Church of England Social Welfare Day Books, 1967-1991

These Day Books were created by the Social Welfare Bureau. They list basic details related to all requests and visits to the Bureau's social worker each day, including those concerning the placement of children. These day books comprise forty volumes and include the name, registered number, address, referral, request, time, letters in/out, telephone in/out and remarks. In cases where entries include requests for the placement of children, parents'/guardians' names are included but children's names are not.

As of November 2017, the location of the Day Books is unknown.

(This series was previously described on the Find & Connect web resource as Church of England Social Welfare day books (1967 - 1991)).