Historic records on women in welfare

On Wednesday 8 March 2017 Public Record Office of Victoria will host a panel discussion on examining women and welfare in Victoria.

Every year Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) and the Australian Women’s Archives Project (AWAP) celebrate International Women’s Day with a seminar that highlights an aspect of women’s history.  This year’s focus on women and welfare touches on an often researched and controversial subject.

The Victorian public archival collection includes series of records offering a telling insight into the various welfare systems trialed over Victoria's history.

Our main speaker will be Dr Nell Musgrove of the Australian Catholic University who will reflect on the use of later 19^th century Chief Secretary  correspondence files that reveal how mothers, aunts and grandmothers wrote to the Neglected Children’s Department requesting that they themselves be made the foster parents of children placed in care. 

This will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic that will also include the CEO of AWAP Nikki Henningham and Senior Collections Advisor, Charlie Farrugia of Public Record Office Victoria.   Also on hand will be Helen Morgan who will demonstrate how she used the Children’s Register (also known as the ward registers) in researching a case involving one of her ancestors.   It promises to be an intriguing and informative session for anyone with an interest in this topic. 

Details

Time: 1-2.30pm on Wednesday 8 March 2017

Place: Conference room, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne

Parking: Free

Attendance is free and bookings can be made here. Seating is limited so please only book if you plan to attend.