Whole Family Wellbeing Team

The Scottish Government is currently funding a project in East Dunbartonshire that is aiming to support families at an early stage with a range of services to help families meet their needs, to thrive and to stay together.

The vision is that families have easy access to services when they need it.

We want to improve family wellbeing, reduce inequalities between the most and least disadvantaged communities and reduce the number of families needing crisis intervention.

We are committed to #KeepingThePromise to support care experienced children and young people. Visit The Promise website.

Creatovators provide activities and projects to people on the autistic spectrum, and their families gain a better quality of life.

Targeted Supports: Blocks of Buildovators support alongside staff training offered Lairdsland Primary, Lennoxtown Primary, Kirkintilloch High School, St Ninians High School, and associated cluster primary schools.

Email: enquiry to requestforassistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

Universal Supports: These include Playschemes in East Dunbartonshire, Buildovators Sessions (Lego-based Therapy), “You Are Not Alone” Sessions, and Training in Autism and Lego-based Therapy.

Self-Referral: Families with autistic people or those waiting for diagnosis. Professionals (e.g. educationalists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, autism support workers) looking for training. 

Visit the Creatovators website
Email: info@creatovators.com

The Prevention worker offers universal workshops in secondary schools across East Dunbartonshire. The project aims to prevent harm and support young people to develop respectful, healthy relationships. East Dunbartonshire Women’s Aid collaborates with schools and community partners to help young people understand and talk about relationships. Sessions focus on recognising healthy and unhealthy behaviours, teenage relationship abuse, and misogyny both online and offline. 

Universal and Targeted Support: During the academic year 2025-2026 they are working in four schools: Kirkintilloch High School, Lenzie Academy, St Ninian’s, and Boclair Academy. 

They also provide targeted support for young people identified as being in an unhealthy relationship, or who are particularly vulnerable.

For 1:1 support, young people can self-refer via our website or by contacting the office directly on 0141 776 0864.

Visit the East Dunbartonshire Women's Aid website

Email: Bonnie Anderson, bonita@edwa.org.uk
Telephone: 0141 776 0864

Creating Caring Connections provides two core programmes:

Marvellous Minds - for parents of neurodiverse children aged 0–12

Marvellous Minds runs an 8-week programme. Parents will develop skills to understand and manage both their children’s and their own sensory and emotional needs.

Topics include emotional regulation, social communication, stress management, resilience building, and self-care. Using trauma-informed approaches, parents gain practical tools, strengthen peer connections, and create enduring support networks.

Universal Supports: Available to all East Dunbartonshire Primary Schools and Early Years Centres.

Email: Marvellousminds@earlyyearsscotland.org

Marvellous Minds website

Sensory Stars - For children aged 0–5 and their parents

Sensory Stars runs as an 8-week programme. Sessions focus on sensory-rich play and learning. Sessions are designed specifically for children who find social settings overwhelming, experience difficulties in communication or are sensitive to sensory input.

Universal Supports: Available to all East Dunbartonshire Primary Schools and Early Years Centres.

Email: susan.macinnes@earlyyearsscotland.org

Sensory Stars website

Tel: 07785 455799

The Family Link Project recognises that families living with disability and caring responsibilities often face challenges that affect every part of life – emotionally, financially, and physically. Work is centred on the needs and strengths of each family, offering practical and emotional support to improve overall wellbeing and create a positive environment where every member feels valued.

People will be able to access the service if they:

• Are carers (no matter who for) but have a family with children aged 0-11 years OR
• Are within a family where there is a sibling or child with a disability or additional need who is under the age of 25 AND
• Live within East Dunbartonshire AND
• Need a little bit of help and are willing to make change if required.

Targeted Supports: Available to all schools. Parent / carer self-referral, or school referral via website.

Carers Link website

Email: enquiry@carerslink.org.uk

Telephone: 0141 955 2131

A community initiative aimed at providing folk with learning disabilities of all kinds, the opportunity to gain experience of the art of horticulture in an outdoors setting. 

Targeted Supports: Blocks of support offered to two Secondary & two Primary Schools for pupils with additional support needs at primary and secondary transitions. 

Available to WFWF Target schools, send enquiries to requestforassistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

Universal Supports: Available to all schools, small group and family sessions,send enquiries to newrootsfoodgrowing@gmail.com

Visit the New Roots Initiative website

Email: newrootsfoodgrowing@gmail.com

Ramekin and Rolling Pin offers opportunity for people in the local area to come together in a safe and inclusive space to cook healthy, low-cost meals, make social connections and explore aspects of the food system, including sustainability, health, and nutrition.

They provide workshops for Secondary aged pupils who may be struggling to maintain attendance within school.

Each cookery session, accommodates 6-8 young people at a time, and focuses on nutrition, and accessibility, with a strong focus on giving them a voice.

Targeted Supports: Blocks of support offered to Secondary Pupils. Available to Lairdsland Primary, Lennoxtown Primary, Kirkintilloch High School, St Ninians High School, and associated cluster primary schools.

Email: Enquiries to requestforassistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

Email: info@ramekinandrollingpin.scot

Visit the Ramekin and rolling pin cookery school community kitchen

Routes works with young people aged 12 – 26 in East Dunbartonshire who are affected by a family member’s alcohol and drug use.

The Routes Food Pantry provides food parcels to Routes young people and their families. The Pantry is staffed and supported by young people, teaching them skills and giving vital work experience which they can then use. 

Universal Supports: Available to all East Dunbartonshire Secondary Schools for pupils affected by someone else’s drug or alcohol use. Referrals from all external agencies via Scottish Families website.

Email: eastdunfamilies@sfad.org.uk 

Phone: 0141 343 8482

Visit East Dunbartonshire Family Support Service - SFAD website.

Parents and carers are invited to our informal and relaxed coffee & chat drop-in session at Hillhead Community Centre each Monday from 10am-11.30am. It is an opportunity to talk, to be together and to get support and advice when needed. We will also use this space to continue to ask parents what they want within their community.

Universal Support: All schools, linking in families with services available within East Dunbartonshire. No referral needed just drop in.

Email: Enquiries to requestforassistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

The NVR course offers tools and techniques to support the parenting of parents and carers of children / young people who can show anxiety or distress through challenging attitudes or behaviours. Within a family setting NVR focuses on developing strong relationships between the parent (s) and child or young person. It does not seek to change a child or young person’s behaviours through consequences or rewards, but uses parental presence through self-care, de-escalation, and reconciliation as an alternative.

Each week you will be taught new strategies which can be utilised at home to strengthen the parent-child connection and ultimately reduce behaviors that challenge. 

Targeted support: Families where identified needs would benefit from an NVR approach.

All Schools Referral Route:  Approach would involve individual staff trained in NVR in your school or team collaborating with an individual staff member or with an individual parent or parent group. 

Parent groups Email: Enquiries to requestforassistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

Children and young people who are struggling to attend school are invited to our informal drop-in session each Monday from 12noon-2pm in Hillhead Community Centre. It is an opportunity to talk, to be together and to get support and build confidence where needed. Activities are led by young people’s choices and have included therapy dogs, jewellery making, sports activities and board games.

Universal Support: Available to all East Dunbartonshire schools.

Referral Route: No referral needed, just drop-in.

Email: Enquiries to requestforasssistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

Sleep training provides support to families, children and young people facing sleep issues. We offer tailored sleep support to help build healthy sleep habits. The aim is to ensure everyone can thrive through healthy sleep by providing information and behavioural support to those affected by chronic sleep deprivation. 

Universal Support: All Schools Referral Route:  Approach would involve individual staff trained in Sleep support in your school or Whole Family Wellbeing Team collaborating with an individual staff member or with an individual parent. 

Targeted Support: The Whole Family Wellbeing Team can complete sleep assessments for children & young people attending Lairdsland Primary, Lennoxtown Primary, Kirkintilloch High School, St Ninian's High School, and associated cluster primary schools. 

The Active Schools and Community Sport (ASCS) team provides targeted support for children and young people from Woodland View School, and all mainstream Enhanced Learning Resource/ Nurture Units, to access sport activity within their school and/or local community leisure centres. All activities are centred on the needs of the pupils within that group, with teaching staff helping to identify the sports/ activities that would be the most beneficial.

Targeted Support: Pupils attending Enhanced Learning Resources, or Woodland View School.

Referral Route: School staff referral to Active Schools Co-ordinator.

A 12-week programme providing a dedicated mother and baby group for young, care-experienced parents (initially mothers), with children aged 0–4. The group aims to offer a safe, inclusive space where parents can build confidence, access peer support, and learn from professionals in a non-judgmental environment.

Targeted Support: Care experienced parents.

Referral Route: No direct referral route. Access to the service will be led by a Social Work professional in East Dunbartonshire Council.

This project supports pupils and families by promoting language development, cultural inclusion, and access to learning. It builds partnerships with parents, provides tailored resources, and fosters confidence, ensuring children thrive academically and socially while families feel valued, engaged and empowered within the school community. 

Universal & Targeted Supports: For EAL families, both universal and targeted, depending on context.

Email: Requestforassistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

Social Workers will take the lead in collating pictures, stories, letters, and any relevant information on behalf of Looked After and Accommodated Children (LAAC) in East Dunbartonshire, supported by partner agencies. Bespoke training and adequate resources will equip practitioners to carry this work out in a sensitive and meaningful way alongside children and young people, hopefully resulting in all LAAC children having access to a life-story journal. 

Targeted Support: The provision of resources for life story work is targeted to Looked After and Accommodated / Care Experienced Children whose child’s plan is led by a Social Work professional in East Dunbartonshire.

Referral Route: No direct referral route. The aim is for this project to become part of the LAAC process. 

This project aims to increase young people and family’s awareness of being outdoors and the advantages to their mental wellbeing as well as their physical wellbeing.

Outdoor Education staff work in partnership with school staff and partner agencies to deliver blocks of support. The programme targets young people from P5 – S2 with early intervention in mind, either 1-1 or with small groups up to six young people delivering either a series of outdoor activities or a set activity over a number of days depending on the needs of the young people involved.

Email: Enquiries to requestforassistance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk with WFWF within title bar of message.

Targeted Support: Provided to children & young people attending Lairdsland Primary, Lennoxtown Primary, Kirkintilloch High School, St Ninians High School, and associated cluster primary schools.

Holistic whole family support: routemap and national principles.

Event information to follow.