| Yaandina Family Centre, Roebourne |
| Years of Operation | From 1974 for an unknown period, but at least until 1995. |
| Role Of Facility | Residential child care |
| Sponsoring Agency | Sisters of St John of God / Yaandina Board /Ieramugadu Group / Departmental - predessors to the current Department for Child Protection |
Other facilities in
Signposts that are
related to the
Sponsoring Agency | See the entry “Sisters of St John of God” in the earlier section of Signposts, “Non-Government Agencies and their Subsidiary Institutions” |
| Address(es) | 51 Hampton Street, Roebourne. Yaandina was situated on the site first denoted as a ‘school site’ in 1890. |
| Aliases | Yaandina Babies and Children Centre, Yaandina Hostel |
| Brief History | This facility was managed by a community committee, known as the Yaandina Board, with nursing services provided by the Sisters of St John of God. "Where possible Yaandina is used as a preventive measure which avoids committing children unnecessarily." (Annual Report of the Department for Community Welfare, 1976).
Mission Grants in Aid 1974 and 1975 for alterations and additions to buildings and in 1976 for further building alterations and electrical goods.
“Until [the South Hedland Group Home] is established the only other residential care facility for young children in the Pilbara is Yaandina [see entry] Babies and Children’s Centre in Roebourne. Placement of other than local children at Yaandina makes it difficult for parents to maintain regular contact with their children because of the distance they have to travel to see them.” (Annual Report of the Department for Community Welfare, 1978). [See separate entry in Signposts for the South Hedland Group Home].
The WELSTAT (welfare statistics) Collection of 1979 notes Yaandina as a ‘scattered group home’ (ie. “a family group home whose grounds do not adjoin those of another family group home, or other residential child care establishment, operated by the same enterprise.”) that was operated by an agency other than the Department.
In May 1982, the “Order of St. John of God, who had been providing nursing sisters to operate the Yaandina Centre…had to withdraw their services after seven years involvement with this project.” The Sisters’ withdrawal “resulted from a greatly reduced demand for the service they were providing and a recognition by all those involved with the Centre that it was time that its role within the community changed.” The Department recorded its appreciation of the Sisters’ dedication and commitment (and that of the Board of Management). The Annual Report indicated that the Department was “examining proposals for the future operation of this facility.” (Annual Report of the Department for Community Welfare, 1982).
In 1983, the running of the centre, now called the Yaandina Family Centre, was taken over by Ieramugadu, a local Indigenous group. The Department provided “funding to the Group for the Centre’s management” - the management committee and staff came from the Ieramugadu community.
In 1984, the Annual Report noted that Yaandina had “been run effectively and efficiently” and had “provided excellent care to children (and sometimes their parents) in need.” Yaandina had “begun broadening its activities by applying for funding to build a day care centre” in order to further its other aim – “to provide training for employees and members of the community in child care.” (Annual Report of the Department for Community Welfare, 1984).
Departmental files from 1984 indicate that Yaandina provided short term accommodation and training for young nursing mothers and included Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal admissions. There was a flat attached to the Centre. Six children, mainly non-Wards, plus two parents were resident at the time of reporting in 1984.
In 1994, the facility was known as Yaandina Hostel. In addition to other services, it also provided hostel facilities for the elderly.
Between 1991 and 1995, Yaandina was funded by the Youth Supported Accommodation Program, which was a sub-program of the Commonwealth/State funded Supported Accommodation Assistance Program. [For notes on this program see the section on NAHA/SAAP at the beginning of Signposts]. |
| Records | Case files may be held by the Department for Child Protection. |
| Access | While access to records is restricted to protect the privacy of individuals, people are encouraged to enquire. |
| Contact Details | Freedom of Information
Department of Communities
Locked Bag 5000, Fremantle WA 6959
Telephone: (08) 6217 6888
Country free call: 1800 176 888
Email: foi@communities.wa.gov.au
Website: www.communities.wa.gov.au |
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