Group of homes at the Marymead Childrens Centre, 1970s, courtesy of ACT Heritage Library.
Details
Marymead Child and Family Centre was established in 1967 in Narrabundah. It was run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, until the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn took over responsibility in 1986. In 2018, Marymead continues to provide residential care for girls and boys aged 5 to 17, as well as foster care and support programs.
Marymead Child and Family Centre intially provided temporary residential care for children - placed by parents or by welfare officials. When it opened it could accommodate 60 children with 10 in each cottage home. It is estimated that 4,000 - 5,000 children have stayed at the home since it opened.
Marymead continues to provide residential care for girls and boys aged 5 to 17 as well as family support programs, foster care, disability support, literacy and language support, research into issues impacting children and counselling services.
Sources used to compile this entry: Department of the Interior, Welfare Section, Annual Report 1966-1967, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1968; A Piece of the Story: National Directory of Records of Catholic Organisations Caring for Children Separated from Families, Australian Catholic Social Welfare Commission & the Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes, 1999, http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/A-Piece-of-the-Story-Directory-of-Catholic-Records-.pdf; Marymead - Children, Family, Community, Marymead, 2011, https://www.marymead.org.au/.
Prepared by: Lydia Connell
Created: 31 August 2011, Last modified: 28 July 2023
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/act/biogs/AE00001b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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