Archiving the Mixed Economy of Welfare

Chair: Dr Justin Davis-Smith
Project Director: Dr Georgina Brewis

Archiving the Mixed Economy of Welfare in Great Britain (GB) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary project that promotes the preservation of the archives and records of voluntary and community organisations, which are increasingly vulnerable in a period of austerity. We see the archives and records of voluntary organisations as strategic assets for governance, corporate identity, accountability and research. The project promotes awareness of such collections andsupports good practice in archiving and records management within charities and voluntary organisations. We do this by building partnerships between the voluntary sector, academics and archivists/information professionals; by creating bespoke guidance and events; and by advocating for archives across Britain. We work closely with partners to facilitate good practice through research and knowledge exchange. By preserving and making available such records we will facilitate research that can shed new light on the development of social welfare services across Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) in the current context of changing welfare provision.