A Liverpool Exemplar - Dorothy Keeling

Dorothy Clarissa Keeling was born at Grammar School House, Manor Row, Bradford, on the 2nd of December 1881, the seventh of nine children of the Revd William Hulton Keeling who for many years was the Headmaster of Bradford Grammar School. She was educated at home and at a girls' grammar school, but physical weakness in childhood barred her from serious academic work. After some experience with workhouse visiting, in 1907 she joined the staff of the Bradford Guild of Help. After her father's death in 1916 she became self supporting, accepting first a salary for her work in Bradford and then taking up secretaryship of the National Association of Guilds of Help.

Dorothy Keeling shaped Citizens Advice from the very beginning as she was involved in setting up the first advice service in Liverpool and used the evidence they were gathering on money lending problems to campaign for change. Founded by Eleanor Rathbone and Dorothy back in 1919, the Liverpool PSS began its life with the title Liverpool Personal Services Society. Dorothy as head of the Bradford Guild of Help had been persuaded by Eleanor in 1918 to come to Liverpool to run this new organisation which soon co-ordinated hundreds of volunteers to assist the old and disabled with social programmes and provide other initiatives such as marriage counselling and legal aid. She had acquired considerable experience in London of voluntary charity organisations, and was awarded an MBE in 1919 for her work as Secretary of the National Association of Guilds of Help. Her first move on coming to Liverpool was to survey the city from upstairs on a tram to get to know the districts and her first impression was the contrast between the great wealth and devastating poverty.

Liverpool PSS

With a special donation from the Rathbone family, the Old Folks Welfare Sub-Committee was established, with Mr Derbyshire as Chairman, Miss Eleanor Rathbone as Vice-Chairman and Miss Dorothy Keeling as Secretary. Their motto was: 'a society for any citizen in difficulty', and, for over 100 years, it has been providing services that have changed people's lives for the better. In the same year the first social clubs for pensioners were inaugurated. Pensioners attended these centres every month for afternoon tea and entertainments and by 1938, there were twelve clubs in operation. The basis of this work was voluntary. Outings and garden parties were arranged as were holidays.

As the training secretary of the Liverpool Personal Service Society (PSS), Dorothy was also a member of the academic staff of the Liverpool University department, where she lectured on social work principles and conducted regular case discussions and conducted tutorials for medical students. Dorothy seems to have been quite a power in the land, as a letter dated December 1918 shows that she was consulted about training placements for individual students and may even have organised them. Although small in stature she had implacable standards of efficiency and forthright opinions and her high handed treatment of committees and staff became the stuff of legend.
Her influencing work contributed to the first interest rate cap on lending in the Moneylenders Act 1927, and in 1940 she helped to develop the service, setting out the aims and principles which are still in evidence today. During the Blitz, she went out and gave advice on the streets, in shelters and rest centres developing policy function by working with the Ministry of Information to feed them with her intelligence about the problems people were experiencing.

 

In 1961 the book 'The Crowded Stairs' was published by Dorothy C Keeling; National Council of Social Service which was recollections of social work in Liverpool. In the book she writes, "Liverpool was, undoubtedly, thanks largely to Miss Rathbone’s initiative and inspiration, a pioneer in the work for the elderly. We learnt a great deal from our experimental work for old people…..We realised the great monotony of the lives of the elderly, especially those living alone, and the total absence of any colourful occupation. Not only, too, were many of them desperately lonely, but the feeling that they were no longer wanted was very common, as was the constant dread of having to be moved to the 'House', from which it was very unlikely that there would be any return".
The Liverpool Echo in October 1961 published, " In this era of the Welfare State comes a sharp reminder of the days when THOUSANDS of Liverpool families have blessed the name of Dorothy Keeling. Thousands more who never knew her have had reason to be grateful for the work she has done."
Liverpool Personal Service Society became the forerunner of organisations like Age Concern, Relate and the Citizens Advice Bureau. In 2013 representatives from PSS received the honour of the Freedom of the City at a special ceremony at St George's Hall. Cllr Hazel Williams, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, said: "As first citizen I would like to acknowledge the commitment and dedication of PSS in promoting philanthropy and a thriving voluntary and community sector for nearly 100 years. They have set an example to others by providing an extensive range of essential services which really do benefit our communities." The organisation has also recently won two awards for its work in the field of dementia.

Dorothy died in 1967. 

see also:- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2021/04/a-liverpool-exemplar-george-holt.html