Archive

Everyone needs to know where his roots lie. Who is my mother and who is my father? Do I have broters and sisters? Why am I in the child and youth care centre?

The first seven children were admitted in 1902 in Winburg Orphanage. Thereafter care was given to thousands of children over the years. Orphanages were not registered at the government and there were no files for the children. It came later on. The oldest file for a child that we know of is of 1927. The first social worker was appointed during the sixties and thereafter they started to open a file for each child. In the older files there often are only some medical reports.

Today we have an archive in Bloemfontein where all the old files are kept. We have a computer program which enables us to quickly see if a person was in one of our centres or not. All files of old-residents are kept in the archive from 5 years after they have left, and it is then destroyed when that person turns 70 years.

Old-residents can enquire at the head office of management of the child and youth care centres.