- Entry type: Organisation
- Entry ID: AWE0965
Infants’ Home (Ashfield, New South Wales)
- Former name Sydney Foundling Hospital
- Occupation Social support organisation, Welfare organisation
Summary
Originally established as the Sydney Foundling Hospital in 1874, it became the Infants’ Home in 1877. It assumed responsibility for the care of infants of single mothers and destitute parents and provided a temporary home for the mothers. Its management comprised an all female Board until 1973, when the first male joined. It was the first organisation to move from residential care to long day care in the early 1970s and the third family day care scheme to commence operations in New South Wales. The Family Centre of Early Intervention commenced in 1978.
Details
The members of the first committee comprised Mrs E B Parnell, President, Mrs Julia Bensusan, Secretary, Mrs G F Wise, Treasurer, Mrs (later Lady) E Deas Thomson ( daughter of Governor Bourke and wife of the Colonial Secretary), Lady Murray, Mrs Henry Moore, Mrs Fischer, Mrs Alexander, Mrs Holt, Mrs John Smith and Mrs St John. Mrs John Eales, Mrs Goodenough and Mrs Dumaresq joined in the first year.
Rules for admission to the institution were laid down by July 1874. They required firstly for each application to be dealt with on its merits; secondly, for the infant to be no older than three months; thirdly for the mother to produce satisfactory evidence of her previous respectability and fourthly there had to be proof that the father had deserted the baby and be beyond the reach of the law to enforce him to support it.
Archival resources
Published resources
- Book
- Journal
- Pamphlet
- Resource