Please contact the Library & Archives NT:
Email: ask@lant.nt.gov.au
Darwin Office:
Postal Address: GPO Box 874, Darwin NT 0801
Phone: (08) 8924 7677 or 1800 019 155
Alice Springs Office:
Postal Address: PO Box 8225, Alice Springs NT 0871
Phone: (08) 8951 566
Quote this number to access your records: Northern Territory Archives Service Series ID (NTRS), 630
These records are held by Library & Archives NT (2019 - current).
This series of administration files includes files related to a number of Homes run by the Department of Community Development. The ‘N’ prefix identified this series as relating to the Northern Region. Files deal with many subjects such as general welfare, foster care, adoption, emergency care, child care and residential care. Some relate to specific organisations or institutions including Somerville Homes, the Darwin Youth Refuge, Harney Family Home, Malak House Juvenile Detention Centre and Giles House Juvenile Detention and Training Centre.
Most government records in the Northern Territory are open for research 30 years after the end of the year in which the records were created. Some records, however, are subject to restrictions due to their sensitive or confidential nature. This is the case with many records related to children under the care of the government. These records are restricted for 100 years from the date of their creation.
To apply for access to closed records, you will need to write to the Northern Territory Archives Service. The government agency responsible for the records you wish to access will then consider the granting of access. This is done on a case by case basis. Please contact the Archives for assistance and further information about how to apply for access to closed records. A number of Fact Sheets for researchers are also available on the Archives website.
The files in this series were indexed during 2011-2014. The kind of information collected in each index includes: client name (including aliases and nicknames), date of birth, birth parent names, names of foster and/or adoptive parents, sibling names, names and locations of other institutions (Northern Territory or interstate – non government or church organisation, and other state welfare institutions or hospitals), other file numbers or references, and whether there are photographs on file.