Child Welfare: Reception Centres, Regionalization, and Deinstitutionalization

Between 1972 - 1980, eighteen regional offices were opened by state welfare authorities in Victoria, with the long term prospect that a comprehensive set of programmes would be developed in each region. This is part of an extensive policy change in which the reception of children into care will proceed by more diverse and local arrangements. Safe custody options already include small residential units and foster care and the very term “reception centre” is no longer part of official language. Substantial progress has been made along these lines and of the two central reception centres, Allambie (25-150 residents) is in the process of being closed and Baltara (45-70 residents) is to be redeveloped. In the most recently published planning documents redevelopment of these facilities had been anticipated by December 1990.1 However, not a great deal is known about the population of these two centres, about reception processes and why some children proceed quickly through the process and others do not. This paper examines the present status of reception centres in Victoria and reports upon a preliminary study of the reception centre population for the period 1986-1987. An argument is made that there is a case for revising reception policy and practice not only in existing centres but, in proposed new facilities and for giving more attention to services, for children and families who present with unusual difficulties.