Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1968-01-01 - 1987-12-31 (Creation)
Level of description
Medium
Format
Status
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Department for Community Welfare was established under the Community Welfare Act of 1972.
The Child Welfare Department was abolished under the Child Welfare Act Amendment Act (No. 2) 1972 and its functions transferred to the new Department.The Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act of 1972 repealed the earlier Native Welfare Act and transferred the welfare functions of the Department of Native Welfare to the Department of Community Welfare from 1 July 1972.
The functions of the Department for Community Welfare, as defined by the Community Welfare Act 1972, were: "a) to promote individual and familiy welfare in the community; b) to prevent the disruption of the welfare of individuals and families in the community, and to mitigate the effects of any disruption; c) to coordinate, assist and encourage the provision of the social welfare services to the community, and for that purpose to confer and collaborate with other bodies and instrumentalities who offer, or may offer, a social welfare service; d) to conduct, promote and encourage research into the problems of community welfare; e) to conduct, promote and encourage programmes of training or rehabilitation, or which are otherwise of a nature that is concerned with the advancement of the welfare of particular individuals or groups in the community who are disadvantaged; f) to consider and initiate, or to assist in, the provision and development of new or additional welfare services, whether of a general or specific nature, for individuals or groups within the community who are needy or disadvantaged; g) to encourage the development of the greatest possible degree of service and administration at the local level, and to emphasize the value of preventative measures; h) to provide assistance, where the Minister considers it to be necessary, when the welfare of any individual, family or group is threatened or in jeopardy; i) to provide and, where appropriate, to manage facilities, which may include land, buildings and specialised appliances, for specific purposes consistent with the objects of the Act; j) generally, to administer and give effect to the provisions of this Act and to carry out such other functions as may be prescribed, or as the Minister may direct."
The Department for Community Welfare was abolished and its name changed to the Department for Community Services on 1 January 1985.
Name of creator
Administrative history
Name of creator
Administrative history
Repository
Archival history
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The Homemaker Service was established in 1968 under the Department of Native Welfare to assist Aboriginal families in the transition from reserve dwelling to conventional housing. The scheme was later extended to include European families who requested a support service, which covered such skill areas as parenting, personal development, and community involvement.
One of the major programmes of the Service was the introduction of Community Homemakers in Aboriginal communities around the State. The Community Homemaker programmes were designed and developed by the communities themselves and were a way of enabling them to access welfare services in an alternative and culturally appropriate way.
As the Service grew, Homemakers became involved in supporting community development. Employment of Aboriginal Homemakers was encouraged.
During employment, Homemakers were given regular extensive training programmes to keep them up to date with social trends and new methods, to provide them with other information such as Social Security entitlements and to further develop their helping skills. The files numbered TP0001 - TP0008 are a record of the training programmes.
The files numbered SP001 - SP0077 cover special projects, regional programmes, policy, general and departmental matters.