Establishment and History

The Children's Cottages at Kew were first opened in 1887. A Gazette notice has not been found. The institution was established to provide separate accommodation for child inmates who had previously been accommodated with adult patients. Although the Cottages only admitted children as patients, many of those children remained in residence at the Cottages as adults.

The function of the institution was to provide accommodation and educational instruction for mentally retarded children. Some Wards of the State and other various "difficult" children were also admitted.

The institution was first established as a ward of the Kew Asylum (VA 2840) and termed the "Idiot Ward".

The Cottages at Kew were known as the Kew Idiot Asylum from 1887 until c.1929. From 1929 they have been known as the "Children's Cottages, Kew" or alternatively "Kew Cottages Training Centre". In 1962 the Cottages were proclaimed a "training centre" under the provisions of the 1959 Mental Health Act (No.6605).

It appears that the Idiot Asylum/Cottages has largely functioned independently from the main Asylum/Mental Hospital at Kew. The Cottages maintained its own record keeping system for the majority of its patient records, and it has always been listed as a separate agency, rather than a ward of Kew, in the Lists of Public Servants. However it probably relied on the main Asylum for some administrative support. Patients at the Cottages are included in the Annual Examination Registers and the Post Mortem Registers of the main Asylum for example. Therefore the exact relationship between the main Asylum and the Cottages has been difficult to define.

In 1982 responsibility for the Cottages was transferred from the Mental Health Division to the Mental Retardation Division of the Health Commission (VA 652). In 1985 responsibility for the Cottages was transferred from the Mental Retardation Division of the Health Department II (VA 2695) to the Office of Intellectual Disability Services, a division of Community Services Victoria (VA 2633).

Legislation

Lunacy Statute 1867
Lunacy Act 1888
Lunacy Act 1890
Lunacy Act 1903
Lunacy Act 1915
Lunacy Act 1928
Mental Hygiene Act 1933
Mental Health Act 1959
Health Commission Act 1977

Location of Records

Some records are held. See below.