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 Northumberland County Council's Public Assistance Committee took over the work previously carried out by ten Poor Law unions in the county, 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 four locations:

The Hexham home closed in around 1940.

Following the passing of the 1948 Children Act, councils in England and Wales 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. The Committee quickly expanded the council's stock of accommodation. It took over the Louisville cottage homes on North Road, Ponteland, and the management of Southgate Remand Home at Morpeth, both of which had previously been run by the Newcastle City Council. It also opened new homes at Portland Lodge, Burnland Terrace, Hexham; at 2-4 Eastfield Avenue, Whitley Bay; and at 25-26 Wellington Avenue, Earsdon. The Earsdon home was for girls only, although the majority of the homes were now mixed.

From the mid-1950s onwards, the council gradually opened a number of small, family group homes, which were mostly on new council housing estates that were being constructed across the county. These comprised Coanwood Drive, Cramlington (1956); Reavley Avenue, Bedlington (1957); Annitsford Drive, Fordley (1960), Sweethope Avenue, Ashington (1963); Low Close, Prudhoe (1965); Buller's Green, Morpeth (1965); Croft House, Edwin Grove, Wallsend (1967); Garth Twelve, Killingworth (1968); Allerhope, Cramlington New Town (1969); and Allensgreen, Cramlington (1970). The Hexham home was closed in 1957.

The council's children's accommodation in 1972 is listed below:

By 1984, the council had opened further new homes at Meadowdale, Forster Avenue, Bedlington; at Beaconhill, 163 Langdale Drive, Cramlington; and at Thornbrae, Alnmouth Road, Alnwick. The last of these replaced the ageing Holmlea Road at Alnwick. Over the same period, the existing homes at Fordley, Killingworth and Wallsend were also closed.