Papers of: Child Accident Prevention Trust (founded 1979)

The archive consists mainly of the Secretary's correspondence files and the files of the various working parties, plus a broad range of publications.

In 1977 the Medical Research Council's Medical Commission on Accident Prevention held a conference with Newcastle Department of Child Health on `Children, the environment and accidents'. The conference highlighted the need for a body specifically aimed at child accident prevention, and a steering group was set up to investigate the establishment of such a body. As a result, the Joint Committee on Childhood Accident Prevention was set up in 1979 for a trial period of 3 years, with a grant from the King's Fund. The Joint Committee aimed to initiate and coordinate research into childhood accidents and their prevention, bringing together people from the fields of health services, engineering, design, standards and education. At the end of the trial period the Joint Committee obtained charitable status and became the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), funded by the Department of Health and Social Security. Originally, CAPT had six Trustees, a Council of Management of 33 members, an Executive Committee of eight members and a small full-time staff with a paediatrician as part-time Medical Secretary. In 1988 the Executive Committee was replaced by a Professional Committee and a Management Committee. CAPT disseminates information in a variety of ways: working parties, made up of Trust members and co-opted experts, undertake research and produce reports for presentation at seminars; the Trust's resource centre provides an information and advisory service to those involved in child injury prevention; and CAPT cooperates with other bodies to produce publications such as books, factsheets and videos for both general and specialist consumption. For further details of CAPT's work see their website at http://www.capt.org.uk.

The records are arranged in series as follows: A. Minutes, 1977-1990; B. Constitution and organisational reports, 1977-1991; C. Finance, 1981-1984; D. Correspondence, 1977-1989 (Correspondence files of CAPT officers, 1977-1986; Finance, 1978-1985; Publicity and education, 1979-1988; Enquiries and contacts, 1978-1989); E. CAPT projects, 1979-1987 (Disability: the long term consequences of accidents, 1979-1981; Architectural glass accidents to children, 1979-1985; The safety of children in cars, 1979-1986; Data collection, 1980-1982; Road safety, 1980-1985; Child safety and housing, 1980-1985; Water safety, 1981-1985; Burns and scalds, 1981-1987; Local initiatives, 1982; Child resistant containers, 1980-1983; Computer-based accident and emergency records project, 1982-1985; Standards and their contribution to child safety, 1983-1984); F. CAPT publications, 1980-1991, n.d. (Occasional papers, 1980-1990; Fact sheets, [c.1990]; Booklets, 1985-1991; Leaflets, 1991; Videos, n.d.; Posters, 1989, n.d.).

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, by prior appointment with Archives and Manuscripts staff and after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking. Please note that files D.1/3/2 and E.8/4/2 are closed until 1 January 2081 and 1 January 2087 respectively as they contain sensitive personal data.

These records were given to the Wellcome Library by the Child Accident Prevention Trust between 1987 and 1991 (Accession Nos. 278, 313, 398) and by Mrs Barbara Nelson in October 1993 (Accession No. 486 (part)).

Catalogued by Shirley Dixon, Wellcome Library, April 1991. Catalogue revised by Helen Wakely, Wellcome Library, July 2001. Hard-copy catalogue available in Wellcome Library.

Description compiled by Helen Wakely

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.

Child Accident Prevention Trust officers initially sorted the files to eliminate ephemeral papers, and duplicates were removed during cataloguing.

Material held by Archives and Manuscripts, Wellcome Library: see the sources leaflet Medical Charities and sources leaflets No. 3 Mothers and Babies , No. 14 Films , No. 15 Disabilities , No. 18 Health Education/Promotion , and No. 37 Children and Adolescents .