Cabinet Office: Social Services Co-ordinating Staff: Files

CAB 152

1963-1977

This series contains the registered files of the Social Services Co-ordinating Staff (SSCS). Topics covered by the files include: medical records and privacy; care of the elderly, disabled, and housebound; immigration and community relations; education; local government re-organisation; population growth; organisation of the National Health Service; smoking and health; reorganisation of health and social services in England and Wales; the Local Authority Personal Social Services Committee (Seebohm Committee); a review of family poverty; Lord Longford's Youth Enquiry; and the work of the Social Science Research Council.

Original numerical sequence of creating body has been followed

Public Record(s)

English

175 file(s)

Open

From 1997 Cabinet Office

Topics

Welfare

Migration

Research

Population

National Health Service

Series is accruing

The Social Services Co-ordinating Staff (SSCS), which was located in the Cabinet Office, was created to advise the Secretary of State for Social Services. The SSCS's creation followed the appointment of Richard Crossman, then Lord President of the Council, as the first Secretary of State for Social Services in 1968.

One of the earliest tasks of SSCS was to plan for the amalgamation of the Ministries of Health and of Social Security. Between 1968 and 1971 the Secretary of State was advised on social services policy by SSCS under the guidance of P R Odgers.

The Research and Intelligence Co-ordinating Unit (RICU) was set up as part of SSCS to co-ordinate departmental policy research requirements following the creation of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC). In 1974 the RICU was renamed the Social Research Co-ordinating Unit (SRCU).

In 1977 SRCU was wound up with the Department of Education and Science taking over responsibility for all SSRC affairs such as research grant applications.