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 North Riding County Council's Public Assistance Committee took over the work previously carried out by seventeen 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 five homes in use:

The Malton home was closed in March 1934. At around the same time, the Pickering home transferred to part of the former workhouse site at 5 Whitby Road, where 44 children could be accommodated. The Northallerton home closed in around 1937.

By 1943, a residential nursery for 16 children had been opened in the former workhouse at Dale End House, Kirkbymoorside. The Guisborough home was also now in use as a nursery home. Another establishment, the Oak Mount Nursery Home, with 30 places, was opened at Northallerton in 1944.

Dale End House, Kirkbymoorside. © Peter Higginbotham

By 1947, the Guisborough nursery had relocated to Park Lane and now had 20 places. Three new hostels had also been opened: the Beechgrove Hostel, Malton (22 places); Farmanby House Hostel, Thornton-le-Dale (10); and the Grange Hostel, Strensall (15).

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. As well as its existing accommodation, several new homes and nurseries were opened. The establishments for which the Children's Committee was responsible in 1949 is shown in the table below.

Throxenby Hall, near Scarborough.

Ten years later, in 1959, the stock of children's accommodation comprised:

In 1967, the homes at Thornaby, Grangetown and Eston were transferred to the new Teesside Borough Council.

The 1948 Children's Act recommended taht children in residential care should be placed in 'family group' homes, with at most twelve residents in each, though ideally eight. In 1959, only three of the North Riding Council's homes met or came near this target. By 1972, the two residential nurseries had closed, while the number of children's had reduced to six, with still only three of these having fewer than twelve places. The homes in operation 1972 are listed below.

Oak Tree House, Norman Road, Richmond. © Peter Higginbotham

Following the local government reorganisation that took place in 1974, the North Riding County Council was replaced by the North Yorkshire County Council. The area covered by the council included much of the northern rural part of the West Riding as well as the city of York and the northern and western fringes of the traditional East Riding. A major change in its children's accommodation resulted, with eight establishments being inherited from York Borough Council and one from the former West Riding Council. North Yorkshire Council's children's premises in 1975 comprised: