Institute of Medical Social Workers

Yearbooks, 1927-1941; annual reports and accounts, 1938-1969; series of minutes, 1903-1971, including those of the Executive Council, Finance Committee, Finance and General Purposes Committee, Training Committee and Professional Practices Committee meetings; subject files on training courses, 1926-1967; publications, including 'The Almoner', 1948-1970. Also included are early papers about the appointment of almoners at various hospitals such as the Royal Free Hospital, 1895-1906, and St George's Hospital, 1900-1903, and Institute of Medical Social Workers' student records.

In January 1895 Mary Stewart became the first hospital almoner when, through the Charity Organisation Society (COS), she started work at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Similar appointments followed and in 1903 a group of almoners formed the Almoners' Committee, which became the Hospital Almoners' Committee in 1911. This committee changed its name to the Association of Hospital Almoners in 1920 and the Hospital Almoners' Association in 1927.

In 1907 a separate Hospital Almoners' Committee was established by the Charity Organisation Society to deal with education and training. At its second meeting it was re-named as the Hospital Almoners' Council and in 1922 it became the Institute of Hospital Almoners.

In 1945 the Hospital Almoners' Association and the Institute of Hospital Almoners amalgamated to form the Institute of Almoners, which became the Institute of Medical Social Workers in 1964. In 1970 the Institute merged with six other social workers' organisations to form the British Association of Social Workers.

Reference: R.W. Stacey and A.T. Collis, Catalogue and guide to the archives of the predecessor organisations, 1890-1970. Birmingham : British Association of Social Workers, 1987. R.W. Stacey and A.T. Collis, British Association of Social Workers. Supplementary Catalogue to the Catalogue and guide to the archives of the predecessor organisations, 1890-1970. Birmingham : British Association of Social Workers, 1988.

The archives of BASW's predecessors were listed before their deposit in the Centre. A published catalogue is available for purchase. The archives of the different organisations are distinguished by different initials.

Except for some records containing personal data, this collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

IThis collection was deposited in the Centre by the British Association of Social Workers, 17 July 1997. BASW deposited its own archives in the Centre in 2003.

Link to full catalogue: http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/IMS

There are no restrictions on the use of this archive, apart from the requirements of copyright law.

These archives have been weeded for duplicate ephemeral material.

Further deposits are not expected.

MSS.378/BASW contains records after 1970, when this association was merged with others to form the British Association of Social Workers.

Related archives held in the Centre are : Association of Child Care Officers (MSS.378/ACCO); Association of Family Case Workers (MSS.378/AGFC); Association of Psychiatric Social Workers (MSS.378/APSW); Association of Social Workers (MSS.378/ASW); Moral Welfare Workers Association (MSS.378/MWWA); Society of Mental Welfare Officers (MSS.378/SMWO); Association of Tuberculosis Care Workers (MSS.378/TUB); Association of Children's Officers (MSS.378/ACO); National Association of Probation Officers (MSS.378/PROB); and Standing Conference of Organisations of Social Workers (MSS.378/SCOSW).