"One of the characteristics of a grounded profession is its interest in the origins of the profession, how it has grown, the problems it has addressed, the mistakes it has made, and the solutions it has found. An awareness and understanding of its past lays the foundation for continuing development and growth, and helps it to avoid the repetition of earlier mistakes."

The opening statement of the Proposal for the Establishment of a Child Care History Network, which went out in November 2007 to a wide range of individuals and organisations concerned with Child Care and its history.

The Child Care History Network was formally created and a Constitution agreed on October 23, 2008, following a year long process of networking, consultation and communication. This process was led by a small Steering Group elected at a general meeting held at the National Children's Bureau on February 27th, 2008. In the notes to that meeting the basic aim was laid out:

• that the Network is intended to provide a setting within which interested persons can share information about the history of child care and develop ways of preserving, valuing and promulgating history;

Members of the Network include former children in care, social workers, administrators, academics, researchers, students, archivists, museum professionals, librarians, psychotherapists, writers. Anyone or any organisation or institution with an interest or concern for child care and its history is welcome to join.

To join CCHN please
click here.

• The Network is based at the Planned Environment Therapy Trust, Barns House, Church Lane, Toddington, near Cheltenham, Glos. GL54 5DQ

• There is an open email discussion group, created in December 2007

• The main tool for the day to day work of the Network is the website. Originally hosted by the Institute for the History and Work of Therapeutic Environments, the website is designed to maximise community participation and contribution both by the general public and CCHN Members. Members have additional facilities for adding and editing material.
  
  

  Current website features include:

  • General and specialist Member discussion forums, for example

    • General
    • Archives, Museums, Libraries
    • Oral History
    
    

  • The Information Resources Project

    Born at the initial meeting of the Network in February 2008, when it was agreed that there was a need for a series of mapping exercises:
    
    
    • in relation to archives - to identify archives which hold relevant materials; to identify and locate specific archive collections held in archives, in institutions, by organisations, and in private hands; and to identify the nature, extent and accessibility of the collections;
    • in relation to research; and
      
    • in relation to published material.
  
  
  • The Information Resources Project currently includes
    
    • Notes and Queries: Questions, Answers, Information - for example, on People, Places, Organisations
    • The Research Resources databases:
      • Archives and archive collections relating to child care history
      • Libraries and library collections relating to child care history
      • Museums devoted to child care and its history, or with significant collections relating to same
      • Oral History Collections and Projects related to Child Care
    • The Database of Published Material [in progress]
    
    

  • Events,

    a detailed calendar of what's happening, available to the public, to which members can add
  
  
  • As well as other features for Members

• The Network also works through seminars and conferences.

  Our inaugural conference was held on October 23, 2008. It was entitled "Child Care: The Need for History", and the talks can be heard on RadioTC International - click here.

• For Members of the Committee, please click here.

DEFINITIONS:

What is "Child Care"?

For the Child Care History Network, Child care is used to refer to all services provided for children by persons who are not members of their natural or step-family, other than mainstream schooling. It therefore includes early years services such as childminding, nannying, nurseries and playgroups, adoption, fostercare, residential child care, boarding education, therapeutic work with children, youth and community work, social work and social care with children and families, secure estate for young people, care for children in hospital, and aftercare.

But then what is a "Child"?

For our purposes, "Child " is used flexibly to cover everyone until they become adult, and is therefore taken to include not only those legally defined as children and young people but also young adults requiring services during the transition from childhood, and the families of all children receiving services where relevant. CCHN is conscious of the fact that the legal definitions of childhood vary from country to country, and it aims to be inclusive.

 And what do you mean by "History"?

For CCHN, History is taken to cover both the history of individuals who have experienced child care services and the history of organisations, such as voluntary bodies, private providers of children’s services and local authorities, and individuals who have been in some way involved in their provision, for example as practitioners, lecturers, researchers and policy-makers.

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