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Northam Cottages were part of the group Homes established by Centrecare Children's Cottages from 1979 to 1980, to provide culturally-appropriate accommodation and support for Aboriginal children. When the cottages first opened, children were aged 0-5 years but by 1985 children aged 0-17 years were able to be admitted.
From at least 1983, possibly earlier, the Northam Cottages had Aboriginal cottage parents.
From 1985, Centrecare staff were concerned that children living at the Beverley and Brookton Cottages were facing discrimination in those smaller towns, and that there was a lack of local resources to adequately support young people who may have been placed there after time in detention, or after multiple other placements. Northam, a larger town with better resources, was seen as a more viable place to establish cottages. After the Brookton Cottage closed around 1988, those houseparents were transferred to one of the Northam Cottages.
In 1992, Centrecare Children's Cottages changed its name to Djooraminda and, by 1994, that agency had opened a new cottage at Northam.
Djooraminda
