Series VPRS
11735
County Court Adoption Case Files
About this Series
Related Series
Accessing the records in this Series
Date Range:
Series
1929 - cont
Series in Custody
1929 - 1987
Contents
1929 - 1987
Public Access:
Closed
Location:
North Melbourne
Format of Records:
Physical
Agency which created this Series
Agency which created this Series
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Date Range
Agency Title
Agency Number
1929 - cont
County Court
VA 686
Agency currently responsible for this Series
Agency currently responsible for this Series
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Date Range
Agency Title
Agency Number
1988 - cont
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (including 1983-1986 Assistant Government Statist, Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages)
VA 983
Description of this Series
Description of this Series
How to use the Records
The adoption case files are arranged in sequential number order from 1929 to 1941 and annual single number order from 1942 to 1987.
Step 1
1929 - 1960
Get the file registration number from VPRS 11736 County Court Register of Applications, (Records Not Transferred) which has a name index in the front cover.
1961 - ct
Refer to Adoptions Register VPRS 11737 to get the adoptions registration number.
Step 2
Refer to the consignment details for this series and identify the unit that holds your file.
Function / Content
The adoption of children was first regulated by the Adoption of Children Act 1928 (No. 3605). This Act established adoption as a legal transfer of custody and of parental responsibility and gave responsibility for making adoption orders to the courts. Prior to this time, adoptions were informal arrangements often made by private infants' homes.
Under the 1928 Act an adoption application could be heard by the Supreme Court, County Court or Court of Petty Sessions. The choice of court depended upon the circumstances of the case and the wishes of the parties. The Adoption of Children Act 1958 (No.6192) removed the power to grant adoption orders from the jurisdiction of the Court of Petty Sessions. Since that time the County and Supreme Courts only have had the power to grant adoption order, although in practice most have been granted by the County Court.
In1929, the Melbourne County Court (VA 686) began to create Adoption Case Files, Adoption of Children Register (called Adoption Register from 1960), Register of Applications for Adoptions and Index Books of Adoptions (by surname of adoptive parents).
This series consists of adoption case files containing the following documents:
- Summons for adoption order (in duplicate)
- Form of notice of identification
- Affidavit of applicants
- Form of application order (in duplicate)**
- Certificate of adoption order (in duplicate)
- Memorandum of adoption (in duplicate)**
** Denotes those that are in triplicate if child adopted interstate or inter - country.
Controlling Agency
Following the proclamation of section 8 of the Adoption (Amendment) Act 1987 (No. 67) the court records were transferred to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The Registrar became responsible for the management and control of records concerning adoptions which were in possession of the County Court, Supreme Court, and the Magistrates Courts at the commencement date of section 8 of the Act.
Recordkeeping System
On receipt of an application for an adoption order, with all the supporting documents from agencies, solicitors or applicants, an adoption case file was created. These are known as Adoption Case Files (VPRS 11735). Each application for an adoption order was registered under a sequential numbering system up until 1942 and since then under an annual single number system. Registration numbers were allocated from the Register of Applications for Adoptions from 1929 to 1960 (VPRS 11736) and since then from the Adoption Register (Known as the Adoption of Children Register prior to 1960 (VPRS 11737).
Indexing
1929-1960
A name index found in the front cover of each Register of VPRS 11736 provided access to the content of the Register of Applications.
1961 - ct
A separate name index VPRS 11738 (Records Not Transferred) was created to facilitate access to VPRS 11735 Adoption Case Files and to VPRS 11737 Adoption of Children Register. Entries were made in the index in alphabetical order by the surname of the adoptive parents.
More research resources
More research resources
Indexes and Registers
Indexes and Registers
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Date Range
Series Title
Series Number
1929 - 1960
County Court Register of Applications for Adoption (Records Not Transferred)
VPRS 11736
1955 - cont
County Court Index Books of Adoptions (by Surname of Adoptive Parents) (Records Not Transferred)
VPRS 11738
Controlled Series
Controlled Series
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Date Range
Series Title
Series Number
Previous Series
Previous Series
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Transfer Date
Series Title
Series Number
Subsequent Series
Subsequent Series
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Transfer Date
Series Title
Series Number
List/s of records in this series
List/s of records in this series
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Consignment Number
Contents Date Range
Public Access
No. of Units
P0001
1929 - 1987
Closed
836
P0002
1978 - 1979
Closed
1
Indexes and Registers
Indexes and Registers
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Date Range
Series Title
Series Number
1929 - 1960
County Court Register of Applications for Adoption (Records Not Transferred)
VPRS 11736
1955 - cont
County Court Index Books of Adoptions (by Surname of Adoptive Parents) (Records Not Transferred)
VPRS 11738
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