Planned Environment Therapy Trust Archive and Study Centre

Toddington, Gloucestershire

Wennington Old Scholars at a residential Archive 'Weekend'

P.E.T.T. Archive and Study Centre

The Archive and Study Centre was established in 1989 in order to gather, protect and make available sources and resources for research, study, communication and training in relation to the history, practice and public understanding of therapeutic work with children, young people and adults, particularly in residential and group therapeutic settings, with an additional and closely related focus on progressive/alternative/democratic education.

It holds over two hundred archive collections, has an active oral history programme with over 1500 audio and video recordings, a research library with over 7,000 volumes, and an active support and information service, housed within a combination of adapted and purpose-built, secure and environmentally-controlled facilities.

In 2002 it became part of the Barns Conference Centre, providing 12 double bedrooms for overnight accommodation, a medium conference and five smaller breakout rooms, and dining facilities. It is currently engaged in a Heritage Lottery Fund-supported project called "Therapeutic Living With Other People's Children: An oral history of residential therapeutic child care c. 1930-c. 1980" (www.otherpeopleschildren.org.uk).

It works closely with the History of Medicine Unit at the University of Birmgingham, and with the Child Care History Network (www.cchn.org.uk).