Edinburgh Early Years Intensive Family Support Service

The City of Edinburgh Council’s Early Years wish to extend delivery of a family support service to a further five standalone Early Years Centres in Edinburgh’s South West and South East localities: Stenhouse and Sighthill, Calderglen, Hailesland, and Gilmerton Early Years Centre. Capital City Partnership will manage the commissioning and grant management of the project on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council.

Delivery will take a whole family early intervention and prevention approach, supporting families with at least one child under 5 years of age in attendance at Stenhouse, Sighthill, Calderglen, Hailesland, and Gilmerton Early Years Centres. Delivery will be predominately centred in the South West of the city, with Gilmerton situated in the South East of the city.

Delivery will focus on supporting families that face multiple barriers to moving out of poverty and require additional support, as identified by Early Years Practitioners. The provision should take a multi-disciplinary approach, providing whole family support, income maximisation and employability and training support across the five centres. The provision should be flexible and offer peripatetic support within the family home and the local community where appropriate, as led by families own needs. It is envisioned that the service will work in partnership with the Early Years Centres to develop a delivery schedule and access space across all five centres.

Provision should take a holistic, trauma informed approach to working with individuals and whole families, with a focus on building capability and wellbeing for families. Likely outcomes will include increased stability within family relationships and the family household, improved living conditions, barrier removal, increased financial inclusion, increased skills and progression along the employability pipeline.