Children's services in the Melbourne Municipality 1900 to 1980

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Crow, Ruth (1984) Children's services in the Melbourne Municipality 1900 to 1980. unpublished. (Unpublished)

Abstract

The preparation of this submission has provided the opportunity to review the history of children's services provided in the Melbourne City Council. Most of the information in this section of the submission has been obtained from reports to the Melbourne City Council Health Committee from 1913 to 1980. A study of these reports show that there were four distinct periods: 1. From 1914 until the mid 1930's when the main concern was with physical hygiene and the main children's service council was the Infant Welfare Centre (Baby Health Centre). The history of this period is reviewed under the heading "Keep the Well Baby Well". This was the slogan chosen by Dr. Vera Scantlebury (Brown) who was the first Maternal and Infant Welfare Visiting Medical Officer for the Council. She was appointed to this position in 1920; 2. From the mid thirties to the end of the 1940's when the main concern was with mental hygiene and Melbourne City Council was the leading municipality in establishing kindergartens. The history of this period is reviewed under the heading of "A Child Life That is Magical". These were the words used by Dr. John Dale who was the Medical Officer for the Melbourne City Council from the early 1930's to the end of the forties; 3. From 1950 to the beginning of the seventies was a period that can best be described with the heading "We Gather Strength as we go" (The motto of the Melbourne City Council). This was a period of consolidation of services but the Melbourne City Council relinquished its pioneering role; 4. During the 1970's the Council has been seeking social solutions. The Melbourne City Council is once again asserting its capacity to pioneer new types of human services and new forms of community support for services. The words from the Melbourne City Council Strategy Plan are appropriate as a heading for this section. They are "The opportunity to have a Full Life".

Item type Other
URI https://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/16208
Subjects Historical > FOR Classification > 1604 Human Geography
Historical > FOR Classification > 1607 Social Work
Current > Collections > Crow Papers
Keywords North and West Melbourne Children's and Youth's Committee, Dr. Vera Scantlebury (Brown), Victorian Health Department, Dr. John Dale, creches, day nurseries, Melbourne City Council Health Committee, 1910's, Victorian Government, 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, local government, state government, federal government, Princess Hill Nursery School, Strategy Plan 1973, CROW-BOX25-25-28-DOC1
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