The Legislature established the Department of Public Welfare in 1937, consolidating state welfare activities. The Department was responsible for the administration of all forms of public assistance, including general relief programs and supervision of institutions caring for the dependent, delinquent, or mentally or physically handicapped. In 1971 the Department of Public Welfare was abolished and its functions assumed by the newly created Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). The SRS assumed the functions of various state agencies, including functions pertaining to vocational rehabilitation and education; the Commission on Aging; and the Council on Human Resources. The SRS administered all forms of public assistance, child protection, and child welfare; gave consultant service to private institutions providing care for the needy, indigent, handicapped, or dependent; developed provisions for services to the blind; supervised county boards of public welfare; and administered all funds allotted for public welfare activities. State government reorganization in 1995 combined the SRS with portions of the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences to form the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
The Centralized Services Division provided administrative, print, mail and file, accounting, and technical services for the entire Department of Health and Environmental Sciences (DHES).
This collection is composed of a few subject files and an extensive collection of financial records for the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences.
This collection is arranged by series.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 495, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the Montana Historical Society catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services' various Divisions
and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.