The Aberdeen Association of Social Service,

trading as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

VSA (abbreviation of Voluntary Service Aberdeen), is a charity based in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

. Since it was first established in 1870, it has helped thousands of the most vulnerable people and their families living in communities across the North East of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Its chief executive is Sue Freeth, who assumed the role in 2023. The charity provides vital support and services to people of all ages across four core areas: Children and Families, Adult and Community, Education and Learning, and Carers Support. VSA support a person's physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing through a range of residential and outreach support services. VSA employs over 500 staff and has a turnover of over £15 million. Formed in 1870, VSA is one of the oldest social care charities in Scotland. The charity is made up of the merger of seven local charities over the previous century.

Social Care Services

VSA runs a number of projects that provide services across the UK. Linn Moor school is a nationally renowned school for children with special needs, specialising in using the

TEACCH The University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program creates and disseminates community-based services, training programs and research for autistic individuals of all ages and skill levels to enhance the quality of life for them and their famil ...

methodology for caring for children with autism. The charity provide school-based counselling to support young people's mental wellbeing, and provide a range of services that support children with complex and additional support needs. Linn Moor School which is run by the charity is a nationally renowned school for children with special needs. They provide support to adults and older people, some further challenged by dementia, poor mental health or learning disability. The charity also support people on their journey to recovery from addiction. Across these services, provide care homes, housing with support, outreach, day care, carers support and activity centres.

History

VSA was formed by the former

Lord Provost of Aberdeen The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is the convener of the Aberdeen City Council in Scotland. They are elected by the city council and serve not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. They are equivalent in many ways ...

Alexander Nicol on 10 March 1870 as Aberdeen Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. In 1899 the charity moved its offices to 38 Castle Street, Aberdeen where it remains today. The charity changed its name to Aberdeen Association of Social Service in 1947, and this remains its legal title. The charity traded as Voluntary Service Aberdeen from 1979 until 2006 when the title VSA was adopted. During its history the charity has been involved in the formation of several other organisations, including Aberdeen

Citizens Advice Bureau Citizens AdviceCitizens Advice is the operating name of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, which is the umbrella charity for a wider network of local advice centres. The abbreviation CitA is sometimes used to refer to this natio ...

, Aberdeen Children's Welfare Council, the Charities Aid Scheme, Easter Anguston Farm Training Scheme, Aberdeen Volunteer Bureau, and the Aberdeen

Carers Centre A caregiver, carer or support worker is a paid or unpaid person who helps an individual with activities of daily living. Caregivers who are members of a care recipient's family or social network, who may have specific professional training, are o ...

. In June 2024, the Care Inspectorate visited Ruthrieston House, a

care home Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (England) West Midlands, Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency team, a team of doctors & ...

operated by VSA and reported several issues relating to understaffing. Sue Freeth responded to the report stating that " SAhave taken immediate action" and they "have worked and will continue to work closely with the Care Inspectorate and local authority".

References

External links

VSA Home Page
Organizations established in 1870 1870 establishments in Scotland Charities based in Aberdeen Children's charities based in Scotland Social care in Scotland Social welfare charities based in the United Kingdom {{UK-charity-stub