| Walcott Centre, Mt Lawley |
| Years of Operation | 1894 – 1993, when the facility was transferred to the Department of Justice |
| Role Of Facility | Originally, a temporary accommodation for children who were taken into the care of the Department as they awaited placement with foster parents or institutions. Known in the early days as the Government Reception Home (or Depot), Walcott also accommodated children who were awaiting medical or dental treatment in Perth, or who were scheduled for appearance at the Children’s Court. Private admissions were also accommodated in the earlier days of its operation.
In the 1970s, the Mt Lawley Reception Home (as it was then known), shifted from being mainly a holding centre to one with a greater emphasis on assessment and planning for the child’s future. In 1980, the facility was renamed the “Walcott Centre”, reflecting “the trend in recent years towards the development of a resource centre with Walcott as the main centre and with its two hostels, Stuart House and Tudor Lodge [see separate entries in Signposts] as annexes.”
With the inclusion of the annexes, the Walcott Centre’s three main functions were, by 1981:
1. The temporary care of children while placement or Court matters were finalised;
2. The assessment of the child’s future placement and management needs;
3. “The stabilising and training of children where their behaviours at the time of referral have been inappropriate at home, school and within the general community.” |
| Sponsoring Agency | Departmental - predessors to the current Department for Child Protection. |
| Address(es) | 3 Walcott Street, Mt Lawley |
| Aliases | Government Receiving Depot; Government Receiving Home; Child Welfare Reception Home, Mt Lawley Reception Home |
| Brief History | Opened in 1894 to receive and hold children until they could be either returned home or placed elsewhere. Throughout its history, the Walcott Centre, as it became known, accommodated children who came there for all sorts of reasons – country children who came for medical treatment in Perth, children who were destitute or whose families were temporarily unable to care for them, and children who had been referred by the police or Courts. Over time, a formal process of assessment of the children’s needs was introduced and children’s further placements were based on the assessments conducted there. In later years, Walcott no longer had an assessment role, but became part of the Community Hostel system. The facility was transferred to the Department of Justice in July, 1993.
A limited chronology of the major events at Walcott, including admissions and discharges and the number of ‘private’ children less than six years of age, is included in Tables 59 and 60 . |
| Records | Admission and discharge registers for the years 1894 to 1988, except for 1929-1949. Case files may also exist. |
| 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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