Challenges to the 'Mental Deficiency System': The National Association for Mental Health's role in Legislative Change and the Development of Community Care 1946-1967 (360G-Wellcome-206056_Z_17_Z)

From its formation in 1946 the National Association for Mental Health (NAMH) was a key stakeholder in ‘mental deficiency’ services. It provided professional training, experimental hostels, and advice to the government and public. An examination of its activities is crucial to understanding post-war developments in services. However, academic commentaries commonly give NAMH little role. Instead they focus on three other stakeholders (Welshman and Walmsley 2006): The National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) attacked the workings of the Mental Deficiency Acts, psychologists showed patient’s abilities were higher than claimed, and the National Association for Parents of Backward Children (NAPBC – now Mencap) gradually influenced policy and practice. The recent opening of the MIND archive offers the first opportunity to develop a rigorous account of NAMH’s role, including its significant relationships with all of these groups. NAMH had a close relationship with NAPBC from its formation. Leading psychologists who critiqued mental deficiency services worked with NAMH. And all these groups engaged closely with NCCL’s campaigning. These groups were involved in two particular areas: legislative change and developing community care. This project’s key objective is to understand NAMH’s role in these areas in the context of its relationship to these other important stakeholders.