Quote this number to access your records: Public Record Office of Victoria Series Number, VPRS 10093
These records are held by Public Record Office Victoria (1973 - current).
Children’s Overseas Reception Board Files comprises client files of children evacuated to Victoria, Australia from the United Kingdom during World War Two and a few files relating to the administration of the Overseas Children Scheme. Their stay was intended to be temporary. Upon arrival in Victoria these children were boarded out with families. The Children’s Welfare Department oversaw the welfare of the children from when they arrived in Australia. The Australian representative of the UK Children’s Overseas Reception Board based in Sydney was also one of the key players in the administration of the scheme. The Children’s Welfare Department oversaw the allocation of the children to their custodians and the subsequent maintenance and welfare of the children.
Restricted Access – Records containing personal or private information about children are closed to public access for a period of 99 years. If a file relates to you or your family member, apply for access to records via the Care Leaver Records Service.
Most of the files comprise case documentation including:
The case files appear to have been initially arranged in numerical order by a UK Childrens Overseas Reception Board (C.O.R.B.) client number. Some files relate to individual children while others document the arrangements for several children from a single family. In 1997 the files were re-arranged alphabetically by client surname and listed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Custodians’ family names were recorded during this process.