Camberwell Council on Alcoholism

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0120 SA/CCA
Held at	: Wellcome Library   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://wellcomelibrary.org/ ›
Full title	: Camberwell Council on Alcoholism
Date(s)	: 1963-1979
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 14 boxes
Name of creator(s)	: Camberwell Council on Alcoholism
Detailed catalogue	: Click here to view repository detailed catalogue

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

The Camberwell Council on Alcoholism (CCA) promoted preventive and diagnostic work in the study of alcoholism as a disease and in the treatment of alcoholics. Founded in 1963, it was the first of the community councils on alcoholism to be established in the UK. It was active in an area of south London where a very visible vagrant alcoholic problem met a growing interest among the doctors of the Maudsley Hospital in the problems of alcoholism as a disease: in particular Dr Griffith Edwards of the Maudsley was very active in setting up this local council. Recent theoretical developments concerning the problem (mainly from the USA) met the 1960s trend towards the development of community-based organisations to deal with social problems, committed to a self-help approach and involved in direct action, education of the public and campaigning. During this early period of the CCA's history the economic climate was favourable, with public money being available to fund projects such as these.

The CCA became involved in the problems created by alcohol over a wide field from the very obvious problem of the vagrant alcoholic to the unsuspectedly large problem of female alcoholism. The pattern of the CCA's activity was to set up groups to deal with a particular problem (e.g. provision of hostel accommodation for homeless alcoholics, setting an Alcohol Education Centre) and then withdraw as these groups became self-supporting ventures. It also liaised with other organisations doing related work. The CCA became inactive in the early 1980s.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of the Camberwell Council on Alcoholism including Minutes 1963-1980; annual reports, 1970s; reports and research papers, 1973-1979; files on alcoholism, homelessness, licensing laws, drunken driving, etc, and papers relating to liaison with related bodies, 1961-1980.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

The basic sections of the collection are as follows:
1-3: Executive Committee Minutes, 1963-1980
4-10: Annual General Meetings, 1963-1975
11-14: Reports, 1969/70-1977/78
15-17: Early correspondence, 1961-1970
18-80: Subject files, 1961-1980
81-87: Other bodies, c.1968-1976
88-94: Reference items
95-100: Acc no 90: Women and Alcohol files and One Day Conference, c.1973-1979
101-104: Acc no 104: Correspondence, etc, of Elspeth Kyle as Secretary/Organiser, 1971-1973.

Conditions governing access:

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Photocopies/photographs/microfilm are supplied for private research only at the Archivist's discretion. Please note that material may be unsuitable for copying on conservation grounds, and that photographs cannot be photocopied in any circumstances. Readers are restricted to 100 photocopies in twelve months. Researchers who wish to publish material must seek copyright permission from the copyright owner.

Finding aids:

Archival Information

Archival history:

The records survive in the most bulk for the years during which Elspeth Kyle was the paid organiser.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The main bulk of this collection was received in February 1980 through the kind auspices of Shirley Otto, chairperson of the CCA Executive Committee, from the office of the South East London Consortium, Cambridge House, SE5, where they had been stored. A few further items were received from Elspeth Kyle in January 1981, and additional material from the offices of the CCA in October 1980, February 1981 and October 1981. (Accession numbers 18, 77, 83, 90 and 106.)

Allied Materials

Related material:

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Copied from the Wellcome Library catalogue by Sarah Drewery.

Rules or conventions:
In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
Jan 2007