Liverpool Personal Service Society is a UK charity covering North West England, Staffordshire, North Wales and Scotland. The charity provides a range of community based social and healthcare services, enabling people of all ages and needs to live independently within a community setting. Established in Liverpool 1919, PSS is responsible for social innovations such as Age Concern, Young Carer's project, Relate, and www.dementiacentre.com, providing information and resources for people with dementia. PSS funding comes from a variety of sources including legacy and donations income which directly funds innovations to support future generations.
Services
Community Services - a range of initiatives that operate at a neighbourhood level including, counselling services, support for disabled and vulnerable adults and children, health trainers and community health champions, dementia advice, information and support, young carers projects, services for offenders and their families. Shared Lives Services -, which offers day care, short breaks, intermediate care and long-term support in the homes of specially recruited carers. Extra Care Housing - providing discreet support to vulnerable people to enable improved health and well-being. Training - to provide increase in community understanding and capacity.
History
Established 1 January 1919, the charity was created to address the pressing social needs of Liverpool that followed the First World War. PSS met the changes of a rapidly changing society with a pioneering approach that has set the pace for social policy makers ever since the 1920s. One of the founders of PSS was Eleanor Rathbone, who was instrumental in the founding of what was later to become Age Concern.
Timeline
1927 - Founded the organisation now known as Age Concern
1928 - Led the formation of one of the UK's first housing associations, Riverside Housing
1936 - Pioneered Marriage Guidance, a forerunner to Relate
2005 - Developed adult placements to promote the independence of ex-offenders
2006 - Launched new community programme enabling people with Dementia to remain in their homes
2007 - Led delivery of Liverpool Health Trainers as part of NHS Health Trainer Service
2008 - Pioneered a range of online cafes providing support to vulnerable people
2009 - PSS awarded Liverpool's 'Freedom Roll of Association'
Innovation and development
PSS has developed specialist knowledge and expertise in the provision of:
Services for people with dementia and their carers.
Extra care housing which incorporates assistive technology and environmental design.
Services for children, young people and their families including young carers, children whose parent use drugs, vulnerable young people in transition and women with post natal depression.
Dementia Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are a huge worldwide problem. In Britain alone some 750,000 people are affected - and this number is set to double in the next 25 years. Due to the huge impact of this issue, PSS has a special initiative and is dedicated to finding new ways to help carers to care and help support people with dementia to cope better with the effects of their illness. The challenge for PSS is to listen and respond to what carers and people with dementia themselves say about their needs and wishes, enabling them to have as much control over their lives as possible. Innovation, co-operation, assistive technology enables PSS dementia support services,www.dementiacentre.com, to provide a wide range of help to people with dementia and for those who care for them. Mental health resource centres and community based projects PSS mental health resource centres and community based projects provide counselling and listening services as well as therapeutic, socially interactive and educational group work and activities focusing on achievement and positive outcomes.
