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695 Welfare Branch

Description

Functions from the Native Affairs Branch were gradually transferred across to the Welfare Branch during 1955-1957. Although the Director of Welfare (Mr HC Giese) took up duty in the Northern Territory in late 1954, the function of native affairs continued to be administered under the provisions of the Aboriginals Ordinance and associated regulations and the Welfare Branch continued to operate only in the Aboriginal welfare field until 1957.

Mr Giese took over his statutory duties as the first Director of Welfare on 13 May 1957, with the commencement of the Welfare Ordinance.

The Welfare Ordinance and the Wards Employment Ordinance were the legislative framework of the government policy of assimilation, announced by the Minister for Territories Paul Hasluck in 1951. The implementation of the assimilation policy resulted in the forced removal of children from their parents; these children were later known as the Stolen Generations.

The Welfare Ordinance presumed that all people were exempt except those who, because of special needs, came under its jurisdiction. There was to be no mention of race; instead reference would be made to wards. A ward was defined as someone who, by reason of his manner of living, his inability to manage his own affairs, his standard of social habit and behaviour, his personal associations...stands in need of special care. The Director of Welfare became the guardian of all wards. Under the assimilation policy, Aboriginal people were committed to the care of the State solely because they were in need of special care and assistance.

The Welfare Ordinance gave the Director of Welfare sweeping powers over Aboriginal people declared to be Wards, including: guardianship of a ward and the ward's estate (s.24); ordering that a person be taken into his custody, removed to a reserve or institution (s.17), or moved within or outside the Territory (s.21); holding the property of a ward as trustee (s.25), and paying debts, judgments, payments, allowances or other costs from the ward's property (s.26). Under section 27, the Director was required to keep a proper record and account of all money or other property of the ward which came into his hands, and to hold the property or income for the benefit of the ward (s.28).

Also, the Welfare Ordinance provided for the proclamation of individuals who fit the definition of 'ward'. The names of all wards were then to be published in the Northern Territory Gazette. This meant that a census had to be carried out by patrol officers, which was completed in June 1956. The information collected resulted in the creation of the Register of Wards which was first published in May 1957. In 1964, the Welfare Ordinance was replaced by the Social Welfare Ordinance 1964 and the Register of Wards was abandoned.

The functions of the Welfare Branch, under the direction of the Administrator, were to provide and administer native (Aboriginal), child, and community welfare services (including pre-school education) throughout the Northern Territory.

In 1956/1957, Welfare Branch had responsibility for 17 Aboriginal Reserves across the Northern Territory including: Alice Springs (Bungalow); Arnhem Land; Bathurst Island; Beswick; Daly River; Darwin (Bagot); Groote Eylandt; Haasts Bluff; Hooker Creek; Jay Creek; Larrakeyah; Melville Island; South West; Wagait; Warramunga; Woolwonga; and, Yuendumu.

For the purpose of field administration relating to Aborigines, in 1957/58 the Northern Territory was divided into four welfare districts; Leichhardt, Gregory, Giles and Lindsay with headquarters in Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek respectively.

On 28 May 1956, Welfare Branch opened the Fannie Bay Receiving Home for babies and children placed into the care of the Director of Child Welfare. On 16 May 1957, a baby girl died when the home was destroyed by fire. A new Receiving Home was opened in an alternative building in Darwin in July 1957. In June 1959, another Receiving Home was opened at Alice Springs.

The Part-Aboriginal Education Scheme was introduced to transfer children to southern states for education and training. Children were selected by churches, missions, and the Welfare Branch. Children were placed in boarding schools or foster homes and were subsidised by the Government to a maximum amount of $600 per annum including child endowment.

The Welfare Branch was divided on a functional basis into four divisions: Native Welfare; Child, Family and Social Welfare; Pre-School Education; and, Administration. Within this arrangement four District Welfare Officers located in Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs were responsible for the administration of welfare activities in these centres and the surrounding districts.

In 1958/1959, the responsibilities of the Welfare Branch were defined as: the management of native settlements; provision of educational services; provision and conduct of infant welfare and nursing services; provision of food and catering services; development of training programs and courses and the supervision of employment conditions throughout the Northern Territory; coordination and, in certain fields, supervision of the work of missions; care and maintenance of State Children; provision of assistance under section 8(f) of the Welfare Ordinance to such persons as pensioners, unemployed, homeless, mentally ill, ex-prisoners, and alcoholics; establishment and management of probationary services; provision of housing for 'part-coloured' families; provision of counselling and family guidance services; administration of the scheme for the education of 'part-coloured' children in other States; establishment and management of receiving homes; coordination of the work of missions and other bodies concerned with the care and maintenance of children committed to their charge; direction, supervision, and inspection of all pre-school staff; organisation and training courses for pre-school assistants; liaison between Welfare Branch, parent committees, and other groups interested in pre-school education; planning of pre-school centres, selection of sites and general layout of equipment; administration of the scheme for grants to cultural, sporting, and welfare organisations to improve their facilities and extend their activities; administration of the scheme for establishing and operating hostels for school children and young working people in the Northern Territory.

Each of the four divisions of the Welfare Branch had their own structure. The Native Welfare Division was overseen by the Chief Welfare Officer reporting to the Assistant Director of Welfare with the following sections: education (responsible for the planning, administration, and supervision of education on settlements, missions, and pastoral properties); employment (responsible for administering the provisions of the Wards Employment Ordinance and regulations, and the development of training programs and courses); and, social welfare (responsible for the training of staff, provision of catering and food services, administration of health and hygiene services, arranging developmental and training projects on native settlements, maintenance of the Register of Wards, collating statistics, and the promotion of assimilation policy to Aboriginal people).

The Child, Family and Community Welfare Division was managed by the Administrative Officer (General Welfare) reporting to the Director of Child Welfare. The division was responsible for the planning, provision, and administration of child, family, and community welfare services throughout the Northern Territory. The Administrative Officer (General Welfare) was responsible for the administration of the provisions of the Child Welfare Ordinance and of Section 8(f) of the Welfare Ordinance which provided assistance to people who were in need of urgent assistance. These tasks were undertaken through the District Welfare Officers and the field staff (mainly female Welfare Officers) attached to the District Welfare Offices, except in relation to the Receiving Home in Darwin which was directly controlled by the Administrative Officer (General Welfare).

The Pre-School Education Division was administered by a Supervisor of Pre-School Education when the function was transferred from the Education Branch in 1954. The Supervisor was directly responsible to the Director of Welfare for the planning, provision, and administration of pre-school centres for white and 'part-coloured' children throughout the Northern Territory. Also, in association with the Senior Education Officer, the Supervisor planned and directed the work of pre-school teachers and the development of pre-school centres for children on native settlements.

The Administrative Division was controlled by an Administrative Officer who reported directly to the Director of Welfare. The division contained a number of sections including: Works and Services, Subsidies, Investigations (of financial procedures and controls), Canteens, and Staff.

During 1958/1959, the Child, Family and Community Welfare Division was not fully staffed. Consequently the Director of Welfare administered the following functions in the interim: the administration of financial grants to be used for cultural, sporting, and community welfare purposes; and, negotiations with church and mission groups relating to proposals for the establishment of hostels for school children and young working persons in the Northern Territory.

Full responsibility for child welfare was transferred to the Welfare Branch in February 1959 when the Child Welfare Ordinance came into effect. Prior to this, the child welfare services had been provided by the State Children's Council using field staff attached to District Welfare Offices.

The Child Welfare Ordinance also established Children's Courts which referred any convicted child to be committed to the care of the Director of Child Welfare, or committed to the Juvenile Section of an adult prison (and transferred to the adult section at 17 years of age). Welfare Officers were responsible for the supervision of children on Good Behaviour Bonds.

In 1965, the Child Welfare Ordinance was amended to include: changes to the constitution and operation of the Children's Court; the defined age of a child was reduced from 18 to 17 years; and, measures to control and license child minding centres were introduced. The changes came into effect in 1966.

A Child Welfare Council was appointed under section 9 of the Child Welfare Ordinance and comprised: Mr HC Giese (Director of Child Welfare); Mr R Vincent (Welfare Officer); Rev. G Symons and Archdeacon Bott (representing Christian Missions in the Northern Territory); Rev. NC Pearce and Bishop JP O'Loughlin (representing Christian Churches in the Northern Territory); Mr Dickinson (Legal Officer); Sergeant Davies (representing the Northern Territory Police); Dr H Phillips; Mr CC Pearce; Mrs GN Scott; and Mr J Ford.

The Child Welfare Council was an advisory body responsible for advising the Director of Child Welfare on matters relevant to its function, including drawing attention to the need to investigate the degree of control exercised in respect of children, and recommending appropriate proceedings be taken to have a case brought before the Children's Court.

The Child Welfare Council was required to report to the Administrator on or before the first day of August each year on the workings of the Child Welfare Ordinance and any other matter relating to Child Welfare in the Northern Territory. Members of the Child Welfare Council could also be appointed to sit with the Magistrate in the Children's Court.

In 1959, Welfare Branch responsibilities included the provision of infrastructure on Aboriginal settlements and other government services such as housing, water supply, and schools. The Welfare Branch was also responsible for the provision of food supplies and clothing on Aboriginal settlements and the system of committing children and adults to any Aboriginal settlement in the Northern Territory (for instance, a child from Yuendumu could be committed to the Snake Bay settlement) and also for the administration of the permit system (for Aboriginal Wards requesting permission to travel out of settlements and for all requests for entry onto settlements).

Welfare Branch began to administer a government loan scheme in 1959 to establish hostels and homes for young people in the Northern Territory. Church and community groups could obtain government loans on repayment term of up to 60 years at a nominal rate of interest (1% per annum) for the purpose of erecting hostels and/or homes for school aged children or young working people. Under the terms of the loan, the church or community group had to accommodate any child nominated by the Welfare Branch during the period of time in which the loan remained unpaid, and the government paid maintenance to the church or community group for each child nominated by Welfare Branch.

By 1965/1966, government loans had been approved for the following organisations: Australian Inland Mission (for St Phillip's Residential Hostel, Alice Springs, and in respect of Warrawee Children's Home in South Australia to provide additional accommodation for Northern Territory children sent to Adelaide for specialist medical treatments); Aborigines Inland Mission (to erect Retta Dixon Homes for children in Darwin); Roman Catholic Church in the Northern Territory (to build St John's College accommodation block); Anglican Diocese of Carpentaria (to provide a hostel at Carpentaria College, Darwin); Finke River Mission (for cottage homes in Alice Springs for Aboriginal children from outlying pastoral properties); Methodist Overseas Missions (for homes in Darwin for children then living in Croker Island Children's Hostel); YWCA (to build a hostel in Alice Springs for employed teenage girls); and, Darwin Baptist Church (to build a hostel in Darwin for employed young people).

In 1962, two Divisional Welfare Offices were set up in Darwin and in Alice Springs. These two Divisional Offices coordinated the activities of the District Welfare Offices and reported in turn to the Welfare Branch.

By 1965/1966, these sections were called the Northern Division and the Southern Division. Within the Divisions there were Districts. The Northern Division was made up of the following Districts and main centres: Leichhardt (Darwin); Gregory (Katherine); Tasman (Groote Eylandt); Flinders (Yirrkala); and Cadell (Maningrida). The Southern Division included the Districts of Giles (Alice Springs) and Lindsay (Tennant Creek). By 1968/69, the Southern Division also included Warburton District which was centred on Yuendumu and administered from Alice Springs.

During 1965/1966, the Assistant Director of each division had the following staff: District Welfare Officers, Catering Officer, Works Supervisor, Inspector of Special Schools, Wards Employment Officer, and a Senior Clerk. Both Assistant Directors reported to the Assistant Director (Operations) in Head Office, Darwin.

District Welfare Officers were responsible for the actual welfare work carried out in their districts and had the following staff: Settlement Superintendents, Patrol Officers and Welfare Officers.

Two Welfare Officers worked in the Adelaide office of the Welfare Branch to provide services to Northern Territory residents who were transferred to southern states for education, medical treatment, or other special reasons. Children from the Northern Territory sent to foster parents or institutions in other states were visited by these Welfare Officers.

By 1965/1966, the Head Office in Darwin had four sections: Research and Policy Investigation (for the revision of existing policies, the determination of new policies, or research and special investigation projects); Operational (which covered the operational aspects of all the Branch's functions including Aboriginal, child, family and social welfare and pre-school education in the towns, but not educational services for Aboriginal people); Education (for the planning, provision and administration of an education service to Aboriginal people by means of special schools throughout the Northern Territory); General Administration (which covered the provision of services for example, staffing, finance, office services, stores, works programs).

In 1965/1966, there were 13 Government Settlements and 14 Mission Settlements for Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory. Of these, 11 Government Settlements and 11 Mission Settlements were located on proclaimed Aboriginal Reserves. The Government Settlements not on Aboriginal Reserves were Delissaville on the western shore of Darwin Harbour, and a ration depot and welfare centre at Borroloola. The Mission Settlements at Hermannsburg, Santa Teresa and Daly River occupied land held under lease in the name of the religious body concerned.

By 1965, Beswick Station was gazetted as an institution under the Child Welfare Ordinance, to train small numbers of State Children to work in the pastoral industry.

The Docker River Welfare Centre was established in 1967 as the first of a number of Aboriginal outstations in the Central Australia area.

The Adoption of Children Ordinance was passed by the Northern Territory Legislative Council in December 1964 and came into effect in 1966. The ordinance ensured that all adoption proceedings in the Northern Territory would be subject to the approval of the Director of Child Welfare.

During 1965/1966, four receiving homes were run by the Welfare Branch to provide emergency accommodation for children who were neglected, destitute, or in need of accommodation for other reasons. Three receiving homes operated in Darwin: Dundas House (for girls and boys up to 12 years of age), Essington House (for adolescent boys), and Palmerston House (for adolescent girls). One receiving home for children of all ages operated in Alice Springs and was initially known as the Receiving Home Alice Springs and then Bradshaw House.

The Essington House Receiving Home for Adolescent Boys at Myilly Point, Darwin was closed in December 1968. A new institution with the same name was opened at McMillans Road, Rapid Creek in December 1968 to accommodate boys and girls with separate security and hostel sections.

By 1968/1969, three Welfare Branch family homes were operating in the Darwin area named Harney, Chinnery and Hamilton respectively. Each home accommodated a maximum of nine children. In 1970, Tambling House was opened at Kahlin Crescent, Myilly Point in Darwin and operated as a government residential home for children.

From 1969 the Welfare Branch was divided for administrative and operational purposes into three Divisions: Northern Division (Leichhardt District, Cadell District, Gregory District); Eastern Division (Flinders District, Tasman District); and, South Division (Lindsay District, Warburton District, and Giles District).

During 1970, the Welfare Branch was restructured and became the Welfare Division headed up by an Assistant Administrator with responsibility for four branches: the Aboriginal Education Branch, the Projects and Services Branch, the Research Branch, and the Executive Services Branch. The three administrative and operational Divisions (Northern Division, Eastern Division and Southern Division) remained.

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