"The Department of Industrial and Reformatory Schools came into being with the passage of the Neglected and Criminal Children's Act 1864. Children who were deemed to be 'neglected' were to be sent to industrial schools. Children could be deemed 'neglected' if they were found begging, without a home or means of support, residing with thieves, prostitutes or drunkards or declared to be uncontrollable by their parents. Children convicted of any offence could be sent to a reformatory school but justices had the authority to take their age and circumstances into account and to send them instead to an industrial school.
Children in both classes of institution were to be given access to general education and industrial training, and children as young as eight were expected to work for at least part of the day in activities such as domestic work, cooking, laundering, tailoring, baking, shoe making, dairying, gardening and farming. Boys on the training ship Nelson and the reformatory Sir Harry Smith were to be trained as sailors.
Following a Board of Inquiry into the industrial schools established since the passing of the 1864 Act, the government formed a separate Industrial Schools Department, under the Chief Secretary. On 19 February 1866 George W. Duncan, the Inspector-General of the Penal Department, was appointed Inspector of Industrial Schools.
Duncan's annual reports beginning in 1867 (Parliamentary Papers 1867, Vol. 4, pp.941ff) describe the functioning of the schools and the establishment and operations of his Office which is first described as a department in the report of 23 June 1876.
Royal Commissions and Inspectors General often criticised the adequacy of the arrangements for 'neglected' children under the 1864 Act, and industrial schools were eventually abolished in the 1880s and replaced by a system of 'boarding out' of wards to foster homes. In 1879, management of the schools was separated from the position of Inspector and placed in the hands of local committees. In addition, two Visiting Committees, of identical composition but charged separately for each class of school, were appointed to inspect and report. In 1881, management of the department was vested in George Guillaume who was appointed Secretary of the Department on 4 August of that year. A separate position of Inspector continued to be filled.
In 1887 following the proclamation of the Neglected Children's Act (No.941) and the Juvenile Offenders' Act (No.951) responsibility for 'neglected' children was assumed by a Department for Neglected Children and a Department for Reformatory Schools assumed responsibility for convicted juveniles." (PROV entry: Agency VA 1466 Department of Industrial and Reformatory Schools)
03 February 2014
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/vic/E000126
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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