Tools to support system change

Early work with CELCIS, CYPIC and the East Lothian Change Team showed that strengthening whole family support in East Lothian required more than changes in practice. It would involve work to align local approaches with Scotland’s national vision and principles for holistic whole family support. It would also require leaders and practitioners to work together across agencies, disciplines and teams to provide coordinated, relationship-based support that responds to families’ needs and strengths. To support the introduction and embedding of new ways of working, the National Support Team used a range of improvement methods and tools to identify priorities for change and guide implementation. Here, we explore some of these approaches and how they have helped shape and drive progress. We also hear from members of the National Support Team and East Lothian Change Team about what it has taken to introduce and adopt new ways of working and sustain improvement. Include: “It takes a willingness to reflect and change your assumptions and your ways of working and a willingness to work in the unfamiliar, unknown and uncertainty. You need to find the balance between the desire to rush to action and sitting back to plan, reflect on, and align your work.” East Lothian WFW team Embedding national vision and principles The National Support Team supported partners to develop a shared understanding of Scotland’s Routemap and National Principles of Holistic Whole Family Support, helping to establish a common language and direction across East Lothian. The Routemap sets out four key drivers for change: • Ensuring children and families are at the centre of decision-making and change • Availability and access to services across communities • Using a whole system approach and joined up support • Supporting workforce development and culture Through facilitated discussions, partners considered what the national vision means in practice and how it could be applied locally. This helped build a shared understanding of what is required across services, teams and roles, aligning partners around a common approach to whole family support. The principles guided discussions about behaviours and ways of working, informed the development and testing of new approaches, and encouraged reflection on how these were being embedded in practice. Four key areas for embedding and sustaining whole family support In parallel, the National Support Team helped the East Lothian Change Team identify four key areas of focus that would be required to embed and sustain whole family support in East Lothian, and introduce the use of a range of approaches, tools and techniques to facilitate improvement across each area of focus: • Connection and building relationships An approach that enables the development of strong, trusting relationships between partners, practitioners and families is fundamental. Evidence-based relational approaches support more open communication, shared decision-making and a deeper understanding of families’ experiences lead to more responsive and effective support. • How we understand and agree the problem Tools that support collective inquiry and reflection help partners take time to understand and agree the challenges they are seeking to address. Drawing on multiple perspectives ensures that problem definition is grounded in real experiences and leads to more effective, co-produced solutions. • A deeper understanding of the family support system System-mapping and planning approaches enable a clearer picture of how the family support system currently operates. This includes identifying strengths, gaps and pressures, and understanding how different parts of the system interact to shape outcomes. • Creating the conditions and enabling context for the work Frameworks that focus on leadership, culture and organisational conditions help create the environment needed for collaboration, learning and improvement. This includes fostering a culture of trust, supporting innovation and ensuring practitioners are equipped to work in relational and adaptive ways. Early Help and Support Improvement Plan To support the East Lothian Change Team in realising their ambition for families, the National Support Team worked with leaders and practitioners to develop a shared improvement plan. The improvement plan provides a clear direction for change, helping to move from shared intent to collective delivery. The plan was designed to: • Build a shared vision and alignment It brings partners together around common goals and priorities, ensuring everyone is working towards the same outcomes for children, young people and families. • Turn priorities into practical action It moves from high-level policy and principles to specific actions - such as developing early intervention services or improving communication across agencies. • Support coordinated, system-wide working By setting out roles, relationships and ways of working, it helps different services and organisations collaborate more effectively. • Keep families at the centre It ensures that participation, voice and what matters to families are embedded in the design and delivery of support. • Use data and learning to drive improvement It creates a structured way to gather evidence, test approaches and adapt based on what works, leading to more effective and responsive support. • Provide focus and accountability over time It helps track progress, maintain momentum and ensure that change happens at a pace that reflects local context and need. Button: Read the plan [link to Whole Family Wellbeing: Early Help and Support Improvement Plan (March 2023)] Tools for Change presentation At the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund Learning into Action webinar ‘Link and Learn: Tools for Change’ (17 December 2025), Lorraine Sillars, Whole Family Wellbeing Lead at CELCIS, and Steph Beringer, Improvement Advisor, CYPIC, Scottish Government, shared these approaches and how they were used in practice. Button: View the Tools for Change presentation [link to PowerPoint slides] Tools to support collaborative, relationship-based practice The Blossom Tool The Blossom Tool that is a strengths-based conversation tool that helps practitioners and families identify what is working well, what matters most to the family, where support may be needed, and how things are changing over time. Using a visual blossom framework, it supports collaborative discussions about strengths, needs, goals, and priorities, ensuring support is shaped around the family's experiences and aspirations. Its focus is on working with families rather than assessing them, reflecting a relational and whole-family approach. In practice, a practitioner might use the Blossom Tool to explore areas such as: • family relationships • emotional wellbeing • community connections • education and learning • practical and financial circumstances • confidence and resilience • [mentioned on page 4]

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Together, these tools and approaches have provided a practical foundation for partners in East Lothian to work in a more connected, informed and responsive way — supporting the development of a whole system approach that improves wellbeing for children, young people and families. Find out more Learn about the Quality Improvement Journey [https://cypic.co.uk/method/] Learn about The Model For Improvement [https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/2959/quality-improvement-zone/qi-tools/model-for-improvement] Learn about Plan, Do Study, Act [https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/2274/quality-improvement-zone/qi-tools/pdsa] Learn about Supporting Families: a National Self-Assessment Toolkit for Change. This is a resource to support your own self-evaluation and reflect on your progress and areas for improvement, that could be used to support the shared learning and thinking around the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding programme Routemap and National Principles and what this means for the supports and services you offer as well as your practices. At the end of this page link to Page 7 – Learning and resources Reflections on what it has taken to enable work to improve support for families in East Lothian Watch this video to hear National Support Team advisors Lorraine Sillars, Whole Family Wellbeing Lead, CELCIS, and Stephanie Beringer, Improvement Adviser, CYPIC, explain how they have supported the East Lothian Change Team, and what it has taken to strengthen whole family support through a systemic approach.