The archive contains the records of The Children's Society (formerly The Waifs and Strays Society) and is listed on the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register due to its historical importance and research value.
The core of our collection is a series of around 140,000 case files for individual children assisted by the organisation, but we also hold administrative records, publicity material, photographs, supporters’ magazines and many other types of material.
You can search our archive catalogue using the quick search box in the top right corner of this page or via the advanced search menu in the top bar. Guidance on How to Search the Catalogue can be found via the side menu.
If you wish to search the catalogue for the case file of a specific person, please follow the instructions on the How to Search the Catalogue page.
We are continually adding new records to the catalogue, so please use the Contact Us page to get in touch if you can't find what you are looking for.