Prior to 1930, Durham County Council's only involvement in providing children's residential care was its Industrial School for Boys at Witton Gilbert, near Durham. The School was in operation from 1885 to 1922.

In 1930, the Boards of Guardians, who had administered the poor relief system in England and Wales since 1834, were abolished and their responsibilities were taken over by county and county borough councils. Each council set up a Public Assistance Committee to oversee its new duties, which included the operation of the various children's establishments previously run by the poor law unions in each area.

The Durham County Council's Public Assistance Committee took over the work previously carried out by twelve Poor Law unions, although not all of these had operated their own children's homes. After reviewing the stock of accommodation it had inherited, the council initially kept homes in use at eight locations:

The Easington home closed in about 1935, Durham in around 1941, and Houghton-le-Spring in 1944.

In 1945, the council was running nine wartime nurseries. One of these, at Hexham Villa, Birtley, continued in operation as a residential nursery for many years after the war.

Following the passing of the 1948 Children Act, councils were required to provide care services for all needy children in their area, especially those who lacked a normal family home. In common with other local authorities, the council established a new Children's Committee, whose responsibilities had previously been spread across separate Health, Education and Public Assistance Committees. In the years that followed, some of the existing homes were closed and some new ones opened. By 1951, the Stockton and Chester-le-Street homes were no longer in operation, but The Larches hostel for girls had been established at 5 Larches Road, Durham. The council was also now responsible for the South Hetton Remand Home for Boys.

During the 1950s, the council opened over thirty small, family group homes, which were mostly on the many new council housing estates that were being constructed across the county. In addition, the homes at Chester-le-Street and Stockton were re-opened and two further residential nurseries added at Hartburn and Fencehouses. The Medomsley cottage homes closed in 1957. In around 1956, a mother and baby home was opened at Smelt House (later known as Fir Tree Grange), Howden-le-Wear. The establishments for which the Children's Committee was responsible in 1959 are shown in the table below.

During the 1960s, relatively little changed in the council's children's accommodation. The Birtley and Penshaw nurseries closed, the latter being converted for use as a boys' Remand Home. In their place, new nurseries were opened at Sherwood House, 22 Briar Avenue, Brandon and at Blackburn House, 33 Tennyson Avenue, West Boldon. An additional boys' hostel was opened at 31 St Oswald's Walk, Newton Aycliffe. Un the early 1970s, the cottage homes at Chester-le-Street became used as part reception home and part boys' home.

In 1968, the council gave up homes in the area now being run by the new Teesside Borough Council

In 1973, the council took over responsibility for the Aycliffe School for Boys at Newton Aycliffe, which was then redesignated as a Community Home with Education.

Following a local government reorganisation 1974, Durham took over the children's homes previously run by the Darlington Borough Council. At the same time, several homes were handed over to other councils in the region including Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside.

After 1974, the Durham council closed some existing homes and opened new ones at Valley View, Chester-le-Street, at 40 Snow's Green Road, Shotley Bridge, and at 57 Bede Avenue, Durham. Its children's homes in 1984 comprised: