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(No. 2) 1972 and its functions transferred to the new Department.The Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act of 1972 repealed the earlier Native Welfare Act and transferred the welfare functions of the Department of Native Welfare to the Department of Community Welfare from 1 July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.

In 1936, following the recommendation of the Moseley Royal Commission and the subsequent amendment of the Aborigines Act 1905, functions of the Aborigines Department were considerably increased and its name was at the same time changed to that of the Department of Native Affairs.

In 1947, the portfolio of the Minister for Native Affairs was created and a year later the Bateman Survey recommended drastic changes in the organisation of the department. These changes were duly carried out in the following year.

In 1954, the name of the department was changed to the Department of Native Welfare and its duties and functions were laid down by the Native Administration Act of that year.