Dorothy Keeling
Dorothy Keeling | |
---|---|
Born | 2 December 1881 |
Died | 27 March 1967 |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | social worker |
Known for | transforming UK voluntary work and the Citizens Advice Bureaux |
Partner | Ellinor Black |
Parent | Rev. William Hulton Keeling (father) |
Relatives | Margaret Fairley (sister) |
Dorothy Clarissa Keeling
Life
Keeling was born in
In 1907 she joined The Bradford Guild of Help, which had been formed two years before, and she was a key member until
Keeling would remain as the secretary of the PSS until the start of the World War II. It was not just advice that they gave as her volunteers ran boot and clothing clubs, a loan scheme, a holiday scheme and in 1932 the well funded Central Relief Society used the PSS to find the best place for its good works. The advice offered to clients included bureaux for new housing tenants, legal and marital advice, visits and care for both the old and those with disabilities.[3]
In 1935 there were 9,000 families who asked for help. A quarter of these were cases referred to the PSS by other bodies but in the remaining cases the families had sought out Keeling's organisation themselves. They were supplying reliable and unbiased advice to families and by 1939 they had 560 volunteer workers.[3]
The charity's first headquarters was on Stanley Street in Liverpool.[citation needed] A long queue of people that could be found lining up on its winding staircase to speak to someone at Liverpool Personal Services Society. 'The Crowded Stairs' was the title of Dorothy Keeling's book about social work in Liverpool, including the Liverpool Personal Services Society, 'The Crowded Stairs'.[5]
She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire at the end of the war in 1946
Keeling died in Hendon on 27 March 1967.[3]
References
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/72786. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ "Margaret Adele Fairley | CWRC/CSEC". cwrc.ca. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/46438. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Liverpool Personal Service Society 1858–1983. <corpname>Liverpool Personal Service Society</corpname>. 1958–1984.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Keeling, Dorothy C. (1961). The Crowded Stairs: Recollections of Social Work in Liverpool. National Council of Social Service.
- ^ "No. 37617". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 18 June 1946. p. 3122.
- ^ "In pursuit of "the welfare trait": recycling deprivation and reproducing depravation in historical context | People Place and Policy". extra.shu.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2022.