Correspondence Relating to Children Placed in Nursing Homes (1934 - 1953)

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The correspondence is only a sample of records which show the administrative process of placing children in nursing or foster homes temporarily. The rest of the records were destroyed.

Children under five years old were placed in nursing or foster homes temporarily for a number of reasons. In particular, single mothers often placed their babies in a nursing home so that they could go to work to support them. The Infant Life Protection Act of 1907 was the first legislation to provide for effective supervision of these homes. The initials ILP, which appear on these files, refer to the Act.

This correspondence concerns the care of young children according to the Infants' Welfare Act 1935, Part VII. The Social Services Department created the records.

If the state took over responsibility for the child, the Department created a separate case file for him or her which might exist in other child welfare records held by the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office.