| Role Of Facility | Accommodation, “and a degree of supervision”(Annual Report of the Department for Child Welfare, 1972) for female teenage Wards in employment in the city.
By 1980, Stuart House was, along with Tudor Lodge, an annexe of the Walcott Centre, and provided “hostel accommodation for adolescents who require a supportive intermediate setting prior to discharge to more independent living” with behavioural programs “designed to facilitate these processes.” (Annual Report of the Department for Community Welfare, June 30th 1980). [See separate entries in Signposts for Tudor Lodge and the Walcott Centre]. |
| Brief History | Stuart House was established in 1963 to assist young female Wards of the Child Welfare Department who were working in the city.
On May 11th, 1983 the Walcott system was modified to include five hostels: Stuart House, Tudor Lodge both in Mt Lawley, Kyewong Hostel (Como), Warralea Hostel (Yokine), Medina Hostel and Andrew House and Cawley House (on the Walcott campus in Lord/Walcott Streets). “While each hostel operates the same behaviour management and social skills programme, they function as independent of each other as possible. The staff model operating in each hostel with the exception of Medina is one Senior Groupworker and four Groupworkers providing one person each shift.” “The Walcott School has continued its existence for those children not able to be placed in the normal Education Department stream at the time of admission. Its role therefore continues to be one of re-establishing more appropriate classroom behaviours. If children can either continue at their existing school or if appropriate, attend a local school to their particular hostel, they would do so.” (Annual Report of the Department for Community Welfare, June 30th 1983).
Continuing the developments even further, Stuart House became one of a new breed of services in the 1980s. In September 1983, Bridgewater amalgamated with the Walcott System to form a new system of residential care and community support. In January 1984, the new system was named the Community Support Hostels, and Bridgewater became its Administration Centre. The Community Support Hostels comprised Darlington Cottage, Oceanview, Stuart House, Tudor Lodge, Warralea Hostel, Kyewong Hostel, Medina Hostel, Warminda and the Bedford Park Hostel [see individual entries]. The role of the Community Support Hostels was to “provide skilled care for children for whom a more normal setting, such as an emergency foster home, is not available.” (Annual Report of the Department for Community Welfare, June 30th 1984).
By 1985, the Annual Report indicated there were seven Community Support Hostels in the Perth metropolitan area, and their individual roles and goals were “varied, complex and often quite different in nature.” However, the “basic aim” of the Community Support Hostel system was to “identify and understand problems being experienced [by the children admitted to them], then to provide support and direction towards re-establishing routine involvement in community activities.” At the same time, the hostel staff emphasised “behavioural stabilisation and training to increase the chances of success in activities involvement and subsequent placements.” (Annual Report of the Department for Community Services, 1985).
In its Submission to the Residential Planning Review Taskforce in 1987, the Department described the operation of the Community Support Hostels: “The Department’s seven Community Support Hostels are all metropolitan-based, providing accommodation at each hostel for up to 8 children, of ages 6 to 17 years. Caregivers work rotating shifts; they do not live-in. At least one officer is on duty at all hours with additional staff member at busy times. Community Support Hostels provide short term accommodation for children whose behaviour and family situation is such that they are unable to remain in their usual residential setting for the present.” (Submission of the Department for Community Services to the Residential Planning Review Taskforce, March 31st 1987.)
In 1987, it was also reported that “children on arrest or remand who cannot return home” were also admitted to Community Support Hostels. (Annual Report of the Department for Community Services, 1987).
A limited chronology of the major events at Stuart House, including admissions and discharges, is included in Table 52. |