The material below is taken from the web page Unless otherwise indicated, content is copyright Peter Higginbotham and may not be re-published without permission.
Ancestry UK

Wiirral Council Homes

The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral was formed in 1974 as a merger of the boroughs of Birkenhead, Wallasey and Bebington, the urban districts of Hoylake and Wirral. The new WIrral Borough Council took over the operation of a number of children's homes previously run by the Birkenhead Borough Council and the Wallasey Borough Council.

Children's establishments run at some time in their history by Wiirral Council.


 
  • Family Group Home, 1 Renwick Close, Noctorum Estate, Birkenhead
  • Family Group Home, 10 Ossett Close, Noctorum Estate, Birkenhead
  • Family Group Home, 22 Rudgrave Close, Noctorum Estate, Birkenhead
  • Reception Home, 227 Prenton Hall Road, Prenton Hall, Birkenhead
  • Family Group Home, 33-35 Poolwood Road, Woodchurch, Birkenhead
  • Family Group Home, 49 Bridle Close, Ford Estate, Upton, Birkenhead
  • Rosclare House, Ravendale Close, Noctorum Estate, Birkenhead
  • Family Group Home, Brook Willis House, Kentmere Drive, Pensby, Heswall
  • Family Group Home, Brynmor, 32 North Parade, Hoylake
  • Family Group Home, 7 Salisbury Road, New Brighton, Wallasey
  • Family Group Home, 78 Union Street, Egremont, Wallasey
  • Family Group Home, 150 Edgehill Road, Moreton, Wirral
  • Family Group Home, 35 Curlew Way, Moreton, Wirral
  • Family Group Home, 46 Shackleton Road, Leasowe, Moreton, Wirral
  • Wimbrick Hey Reception and Assessment Centre, 61-63 Burnley Road, Moreton, Wirral

Records

The involvement of local authorities in the running of children's homes dates from 1930, when they took over the running of the poor relief system previously administered by Boards of Guardians. Surviving records for council-run children's homes may be held in each council's own internal archives. Prior to 1991, however, when a legal requirement was introduced for councils to retain records of children leaving their care, the survival of such records is very variable. Contact details for local authorities in the UK can be found on the website of the Care Leavers Association (CLA). The CLA also provides guidance on accessing childhood care files, which are normally only open to the individuals they relate to.

Locating local authority records has been complicated by the various local government reorganizations that have taken place in recent times, such as the abolition of the London County Council in 1965, and the major nationwide restructuring in 1974 in which many administrative areas were created, amended or eliminated.

Older records may sometimes be placed with the relevant county or borough record office. Many of these repositories have online catalogues of their holdings and also contribute to the National Archives' Discovery database. Note that records containing personal data usually have access closed for a period of fifty years or more.

Older material relating to Wiirral Council homes may exist at:

  • Wirral Archives, Cheshire Lines Building, Canning Street, Birkenhead CH41 1ND.

Some records relating to council-run homes, for example inspection reports (though not resident lists etc.), are held by The National Archives (TNA). A closure period may apply to these records.

Bibliography

Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.