Between 1972 - 1980, eighteen regional offices were opened by state welfare authorities in Victoria, with the long term prospect that a comprehensive set of programmes would be developed in each region. This is part of an extensive policy change in which the reception of children into care will proceed by more diverse and local arrangements. Safe custody options already include small residential units and foster care and the very term “reception centre” is no longer part of official language. Substantial progress has been made along these lines and of the two central reception centres, Allambie (25-150 residents) is in the process of being closed and Baltara (45-70 residents) is to be redeveloped. In the most recently published planning documents redevelopment of these facilities had been anticipated by December 1990.1 However, not a great deal is known about the population of these two centres, about reception processes and why some children proceed quickly through the process and others do not. This paper examines the present status of reception centres in Victoria and reports upon a preliminary study of the reception centre population for the period 1986-1987. An argument is made that there is a case for revising reception policy and practice not only in existing centres but, in proposed new facilities and for giving more attention to services, for children and families who present with unusual difficulties.

Conflict is an integral part of human relationships. As defined by The University English Dictionary conflict denotes a struggle, a clashing of views or statements, a meeting in opposition or antagonism. The position taken in the present study is that a conflict consists of an opposition between two individuals “when one person does something to which a second person objects” (Hay, 1984, p.2). This particular outlook is consistent with that adopted by Kagan, Knight & Martinez-Romero (1982) in their study of children's conflict resolution styles.

Paradoxically, while conflict may be an important aspect of human relations, conflict as evidenced in children's relations has received scant attention. Research has identified possible sex differences in children's conflict with boys engaging in more direct conflict than girls (Miller, Danaher & Forbes, 1986; Shantz, 1986). Boys do appear to use different conflict resolution strategies (namely more threats and physical force as opposed to negotiation) than girls (Miller et al, 1981). Some evidence also exists that there are developmental changes in children's conflict resolution strategies such that from 5 to 9 years there is an increasing use of a reconciliation conflict resolution style (Aboud, 1981).

The history of the provision of child protection services in Victoria, and the lack thereof, is a long and complex one. Yet another twist in the tale occurred recently.

A report by Mr Justice Fogarty and Mrs Delys Sargeant, entitled Protective Services for Children in Victoria: An Interim Report, was released in January 1989. This report (hereinafter the Fogarty Report) was commissioned by the Victorian Government in August 1988:

“… to inquire into and advise it upon the operation of Victoria's child protection system and on measures to improve its effectiveness and efficiency.”

This article explores changes in the patterns of marriage and family formation which preceded and now accompany the growth in inter-country adoption in Australia since 1975. It also describes the major aims and the overall plan for a follow-up study of inter-country adoption in New South Wales.

Writing about the French Revolution, Edmund Burke suggested that the state that cannot change will not survive. As I write this, at the end of 1989, it is evident that for many people the world is changing at a great pace, and that some states may not survive. There can be no doubt that 1989 will appear in history books as a year to be remembered, a year to be weighed alongside 1789, 1914, 1939 and so on. There is a sense that we are living through a momentous time in history. For those of us too young to remember 1939 or 1945, let alone 1914, this is the first experience of enormous upheaval. The map of Europe, East and West, appears to be changing every day.

With the established order, in Eastern Europe at least, disintegrating so rapidly, writing anything is a risky business, particularly for a journal such as Australian Child and Family Welfare where lead times are long and labour is voluntary. Much of what is written at the end of 1989 may appear irrelevant at best, in 1990.