International Conference of Social Work Secretariat Records
Collection
Identifier: SW0008
Scope and Content
The records of the International Conference of Social Work Secretariath contain correspondence with and reports from national committees in 68 countries; correspondence with a variety of international organizations, many of them affiliated with the United Nations; and records pertaining to preparation for international conferences, which were held approximately every two years.
Dates
- 1932-1984
- 1932-1964
Use of Materials
Open for use in Social Welfare History Archives reading room.
Copyright
Please contact the Archivist for copyright information.
Biographical / Historical
The International Conference of Social Work was proposed at the 50th National Conference of Social Work in Washington, D. C., 1923, Dr. Rene Sand from Belgium, suggested that similar conferences be organized internationally. The National Conference of Social Work (NCSW), the American Association of Social Workers, and a number of American foundations provided financial support. In 1927 an international organization committee was organized under the chairmanship of Dr. Alice Masarykova, and national committees were formed.
The first International Conference was held in Paris in 1928 with over 2500 dlegates from 42 countries. At this Conference the organization committee was established as a Permanent Committee.
An Executive Board oversaw preparations for each conference, in conjunction with national committees that helped to set the program and agenda. The Conference also connected social workers in different countries to create a forum for research and consultation. The International Conference had consultative status with the UN, UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, International Labor Office, the Organization of American States, and the Council of Europe. It also worked to establish new branches and did fund raising; sponsored social welfare study tours in connection with biennial meetings; and published the proceedings of the biennial meetings and a quarterly journal, International Social Work, in cooperation with the International Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Federation of Social Workers.
Extent
4.5 Linear Feet (15 document boxes)
4.5 Linear Feet (15 document boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Records of the International Conference of Social Work Secretariat records contain correspondence with and reports from national committees in 68 countries; correspondence with a variety of international organizations, many of them affiliated with the United Nations; and records pertaining to preparation for international conferences, which were held approximately every two years.
Custodial History
The ICSW papers, as received at the Social Welfare History Archives from the National Conference on Social Welfare in April, 1967, appear to be
incomplete records when compared to the file classification schedule which was also received from the NCSW. Before shipment to the Archives, much of the
material was sent from New York to Columbus, and in some cases, the original
file folders were not retained nor were the contents of packages of documents labeled.
Processing Information
When possible, the original filing system has been retained; in other
instances an attempt was made to retrieve scattered documents and arrange them chronologically by topic.
Because of the dual functions performed by some ICSW officials within
both the International Conference and the U. S. Committee of the ICSW, and due
to the location of the ICSW secretariat in the United States, the papers of
both organizations, as received at the Archives from the NCSW, were
sometimes mixed. An attempt was made to separate the correspondence of
individuals which reflects their functions in the ICSW from that reflecting their responsibilities within the U. S. Committee.
- International Conference of Social Work (Society). Secretariat
- Public health -- International cooperation Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Social service -- International cooperation -- History -- Sources Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- International Conference of Social Work Secretariat Records, 1932-1964
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 2004
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- December 2016: components added
- January, 2020: Additional accessions added, box 16
- 4/21/2020: corrected dates, added bioghist, added related accesssions
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Social Welfare History Archives Collecting Area
