Robina Addis (1900-1986): archives
- Addis, Robina, 1900-1986.
- Date:
- 1917-1986
- Reference:
- PP/ADD
- Archives and manuscripts
Collection contents
About this work
Description
These papers reflect many different areas of Robina Addis's life and work, including her training and research; her involvement with both British and international societies and associations in the mental health field; visits abroad; lecturing, teaching and writing. After her official retirement she continued her involvement with the National Association for Mental Health, but was also able to extend her interests by working for the Save the Children Fund and other organisations, and these activities are also reflected in the collection.
There are, however, many gaps in the papers. While RSA's early training and research are covered, her pre-War work in child guidance and during the Second World War are represented mainly by lecture notes and publications. Her long career in the NAMH is chronologically well covered from 1950 onwards, but the quantity of material is not great and it can be assumed that most of the papers were retained in the Association's internal filing system. With certain exceptions most of the papers representing RSA's other activities date only from the 1960s onwards and it is impossible to say what proportion of the total survives. The sequences of lecture notes and publications, do, however, seem to be fairly comprehensive.
Publication/Creation
Physical description
Contributors
Arrangement
The collection is divided into sections as follows:
A. Personal and biographical 1942-1986
B. General correspondence 1962-1983
C. Training and early career
1. London School of Economics 1932-1933
2. Research 1933-1935
3. Child Guidance c.1930-1936
4. Northampton 1939-1940
D. National Association for Mental Health (later MIND) 1946-1984
E. Societies and Associations
1. Semaines Internationales d'Etudes pour l'Enfance Victime de la Guerre 1945-1951
2. World Federation for Mental Health 1948-1986
3. Family Welfare Association 1960-1984
4. International Association for Suicide Prevention 1967-1977
5. Inter Clinic Conference and Child Guidance Trust 1970-1981
6. Save the Children 1971-1986
7. Professional Social Work Bodies 1961-1986
F. Visits and other activities
1. Nigeria 1961-1985
2. The Philippines 1964-1965
3. Other activities c.1933-1985
G. Teaching and examining 1953-1976
H. Lectures 1933-1975
J. Writings 1935-1977
K. Notes, subject files, collected publications and reports
1. Notes c.1942-c.1977
2. Subject files 1938-1970
3. Collected publications and reports 1917-1985
L. Photographs c.1950-c.1975
Acquisition note
Biographical note
Robina Addis was one of the earliest professionally trained psychiatric social workers in Britain, qualifying in 1933. She went on to have a varied career, first in child guidance and then for the National Association for Mental Health, from which she retired in 1965.
A biographical outline follows:
1900 Born, April
1914-1918 Educated at St Felix School, Southwold
1920-1922 Read Modern History at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford for 2 years; interrupted by illness
Year in China
Research for Charles Singer, medical historian [for 5 years]; assisted in the production of Catalogue of Latin and Vernacular Alchemical Manuscripts in Great Britain and Ireland: dating from before the XVI century, by Dorothea Waley Singer (Brussels: M Lamertin, 1928-1932)
[At some stage did voluntary work in the East End on behalf of the Invalid Children's Aid Society and ran a St Pancras Nursery group and a play group for epileptic children: exact dates unknown]
1929 Training course in Mental Health set up at LSE
London Child Guidance Clinic founded
1932-1933 RSA attended LSE course in Mental Health: tutor Miss Clement Brown; fieldwork at the Maudsley with Margaret Ashdown; practical childrens placement at the Child Guidance Clinic with William Moodie; qualified with distinction as a psychiatric social worker
c.1933-1934 Awarded American Commonwealth Fund Fellowship for research into enuresis
c.1934 Appointed to the staff of Canonbury Child Guidance Clinic [worked with William Moodie and John Bowlby]
1938 William Patterson Brown set up the North Western Child Guidance Clinic [Willesden] and asked RSA to help
1939 When war broke out, London Child Guidance Clinics closed
Following the recommendations of the Feversham Committee three of the voluntary associations working in the mental health field (Central Association for Mental Welfare, National Council for Mental Hygiene and the Child Guidance Council) amalgamated to form the Mental Health Emergency Committee
1939-1945 RSA sent to Northampton by the Mental Health Emergency Committee: Welfare Officer to child evacuees; started a child guidance service; ran various hostels for maladjusted children, the physically handicapped, blind and expectant mothers; after Dunkirk, cared for adults billeted in the Northampton area who were psychiatric casualties
1942 Mental Health Emergency Committee became the Provisional National Council for Mental Health, divided into 13 areas, based on Civil Defence Regions
1942 Oct RSA became Regional Representative of National Council for Civil Defence Region XII (Kent, Surrey and Sussex)
1945 Became British representative of SEPEG; attended conference in Switzerland
1946 Provisional National Council for Mental Health re-constituted on a peace-time basis; became the National Association for Mental Health
1948 WFMH founded
1951 Moved to London and became Head of NAMH Social Services Department
1952 Gave paper at the WFMH Annual Meeting in Brussels
1954-1965 Deputy General Secretary of NAMH
1956-1959 On Working Party on Social Workers in the Local Authority Health and Welfare Services [the Younghusband Working Party]
1957 European Office of the Technical Assistance Administration of the United Nations: member of the working party on the inter-country adoption of children in Europe
1960 Became Deputy General Secretary of MIND
1961 Became member of the Board of the World Federation for Mental Health
Visited Nigeria and gave a paper at the First Pan-African Conference on Mental Health
1964 Attended International Conference on Social Work and International Congress of Schools of Social Work, Athens
Invited to Malta to make a study of the possibilities of a child guidance service
1965 Officially retired
Became Vice-President of MIND
Awarded OBE
Spoke at the Philippine Mental Health Association Conference in Manila
Carried on with informal advice and counselling throughout her life
1979 Child Guidance Trust founded
1986 Died, September
Related material
Copyright note
Terms of use
Appraisal note
Notes
Abbreviations used in the catalogue:
A/C [After-care]
APSW Association of Psychiatric Social Workers
ATS Auxiliary Territorial Service
BAOR British Army on the Rhine
BASW British Association for Social Workers
BCAR British Council for Aid to Refugees
BPS British Psychological Society
CAB Citizens Advice Bureau
CCCC Central Council for the Care of Cripples
CCETSW Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
CG Child Guidance
CRCCYP Certificate in the Residential Care of Children and Young People
CTSW Council for Training in Social Work
DES Department of Education and Science
DHSS Department of Health and Social Security
FWA Family Welfare Association
GPMH Good Practices in Mental Health
HO Home Office
HV Health Visitor
IASP International Association for Suicide Prevention
ICC Inter-clinic Conference
IGSAD International Group for the Study of Affective Disorders
ISTD Institute for the Study and Treatment of Delinquency
LCC London County Council
MD Mental Deficiency/Defective
MH Mental Health
MS Manuscript
MW Mental Welfare
NACH National Association of Children's Homes
NAMH National Association for Mental Health
NCSS National Council of Social Service
NCUM[&]HC[h] National Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child
NHS National Health Service
PNC Provisional National Council [for Mental Health]
PTA Parent Teachers Association
RCCYP Residential Care of Children and Young People
RCN Royal College of Nursing
RMPA Royal Medico-Psychological Association
RR Regional Representative [PNC]
RSA Robina Scott Addis
RSH Royal Society of Health
RSM Royal Society of Medicine
RSW Residential Social Work[er]
SCF Save the Children [Fund]
SEPEG International Study Weeks for Child Victims of the War [Semaines Internationales d'Etudes pour l'Enfance Victime de la Guerre]
SW Social Work[er]
TS Typescript
UNRRA United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
VSO Voluntary Service Overseas
WAAF Womens Auxiliary Air Force
WEA Workers Educational Association
WFMH World Federation for Mental Health
WHO World Health Organisation
WI Womens Institute
WPA World Psychiatric Association
WRNS Womens Royal Naval Service
YWCA Young Womens Christian Association
Permanent link
Identifiers
Accession number
- 259
- 353