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Controlling organisations: 1950-1972 Department of Health 1972 - Ministry of Health; Whanganui DHB. State control Gender and age: Mixed, aged 5 - 18 Capacity: 352 beds in 1969 365 patients in 1981 Lake Alice was a psychiatric hospital with a maximum security unit. Its Child and Adolescent Unit was set up to treat children and young people with mental distress or mental illness. Many of the children and young people at the unit came from disadvantaged or marginalised communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori made up more than a third of those admitted to the unit. Most children and young people admitted to the unit came from social welfare care. They were mostly admitted for behavioural reasons rather than mental distress. Its lead psychologist was Dr Selwyn Leeks. There was a school, established by the Department of Education. The hospital closed in the 1990's but the buildings are still there. There are unmarked graves on the site. On 24 July 2024, the Government formally acknowledged that children and young people at Lake Alice experienced torture (as defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture). Find out about the Government’s redress scheme for Lake Alice survivors.
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