Whole family support improvement work in East Lothian
Creating the conditions for change
East Lothian’s Children’s Strategic Partnership (CSP) has been part of the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding programme and working in a Collaborative Partnership with the National Support Team since 2022.
On this page, we explore key aspects of the Collaborative Partnership’s approach to strengthening whole family support and driving system-wide transformation. National Support Team and Change Team members also reflect on what it has taken to lead, sustain and embed this improvement work locally, and share insights and learning in video and webinar resources.
Establishing a Change Team
To provide a clear structure for redesigning family support and driving system change, the Collaborative Partnership decided to establish a dedicated Change Team.
Supported by workshops facilitated by the National Support Team, local leaders, practitioners and partners worked together to identify the skills, roles and functions needed within this Change Team to lead and sustain improvement across the system.
This process highlighted the importance of strong and agile project management and real-time data in driving improvement. It also reinforced to the importance of involving families in the design and improvement of services and recruiting people who share core values and a commitment to listening to families.
This led to the creation of a multidisciplinary Change Team, with dedicated roles including a Service Manager, Project Manager, Community Researcher Officer and two Participation Officers.
Working closely with the National Support Team, the Change Team analyses how family support is experienced and delivered, identifies opportunities for improvement, and tests new approaches to better meet the needs of children, young people and families. It also helps create feedback loops between families and services, ensuring that learning and lived experience inform ongoing improvement, while sharing insights and learning with partners across the system.
A systematic approach to improvement
The Collaborative Partnership recognised the importance of adopting a systematic approach to its improvement work. Supported by the National Support Team, the Change Team opted to use the Quality Improvement Journey (QI Journey) as the framework to guide the planning and delivery of Change Team activities. In parallel, Active Implementation methodology was adopted to help the Change Team bridge the gap between complex change theory and practice.
The QI Journey sets out principles needed for improvement initiatives to be successful. Active Implementation helps organisations implement new practices at scale, sustain complex interventions, and systematically identify and address barriers to effective delivery.
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The National Support Team has helped the Change Team to apply the principles of the QI Journey, using a range of QI tools, models and frameworks.
Applying the principles of the QI Journey has helped the Change Team develop a stronger understanding of what families need and want, and what they actually experience. It has informed their ongoing work to build the relationships needed to involve partners; and helps them collate and use data and learning to inform, shape, and test new ideas.
Learn about Active Implementation
Learn about more improvement tools and techniques
Active and collaborative leadership
Strategic leaders within East Lothian Council - including the Depute Chief Executive – Children and Communities, the Head of Education, the Head of Children’s Services & Chief Social Work Officer, and the Council’s Strategic Lead for Prevention - have played a key role in creating the culture, resources, and ongoing support needed for the Collaborative Partnership to be effective.
Council leaders do this by building and maintaining relationships rooted in trust and respect, and by empowering the Change Team with the authority and responsibility to lead change. Regular engagement with the Change Team enables leaders to hear learning, review progress and respond to emerging barriers. Council leaders also ensure the work of the Collaborative Partnership is embedded within existing governance structures, maintaining visibility across partners while creating the space and permission to test and refine new approaches.
This approach reflects a model of collaborative leadership, where leaders work alongside colleagues across teams and departments to make shared decisions. It has supported those involved in the Collaborative Partnership to build confidence and capability in leading and contributing to conversations focused on collaboration, shared learning and continuous improvement.
Using data to drive improvement
A key condition for change in East Lothian has been ensuring that decisions about family support are informed by a clear understanding of families’ experiences, strengths and the barriers they may face.
Recognising this, the Collaborative Partnership has worked to develop approaches to collecting and using data that go beyond measures of service activity, such as referral rates, waiting times, service uptake and the number of interventions delivered, and instead focus on what matters most to families.
By bringing together lived experience, service data and local intelligence, partners are building a stronger evidence base for decision-making and a more meaningful way of assessing whether support is making a positive difference to families’ lives.
Early recognition of a gap in support for families: Families Together East Lothian
East Lothian CSP had already worked with families, local communities and various partners to explore priorities for their communities. This had identified a need for support for families whose needs fell between ‘universal’ and ‘intensive’ support, and that they needed support at an earlier stage. In Scotland, universal support refers to the everyday, easily accessible services available to all families, without exception, to promote health and wellbeing, such as GPs, schools, and health visitors. Intensive support is directed at a specific family or individual, where a highly focused approach is required.
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East Lothian CSP’s application for support from the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund programme was based on a desire to develop a response to this need. The early stages of the Collaborative Partnership included a deeper exploration of this issue, and what it would take to improve the situation. This led to a focus on the development of an early intervention and prevention service called Families Together East Lothian.
Observations and learning
In videos and the webinar in this section, National Support Team and East Lothian Change Team members reflect on what it has taken to lead, sustain and embed improvement work locally, sharing insights and learning.
Video icon: A systematic approach to improvement
In September 2025, over 500 practitioners and leaders involved in supporting children, young people and families in Scotland gathered at a Scottish Government event to explore what it takes to deliver holistic whole family support that genuinely responds to need and improves family wellbeing. In this video, Gavin Russell, National Support Team member and CYPIC Portfolio Lead for children’s services priorities and family support, outlines the work underway in East Lothian and the results achieved. He explains the Quality Improvement (QI) Journey used to structure the work, with Change Team members reflecting on how it has supported sustainable change and their key learning.
Video icon: Reflections on what it has taken to drive and embed whole family support improvement work in East Lothian
In this interview, Alison Cameron, Service Manager for Early Years and Childcare, East Lothian Council who is part of the Change Team reflects on work done to create necessary conditions for change including shifts in mindset, practice and leadership needed to build a culture where early help, collaboration and family voice guide decisions.
Webinar icon: The role of collaboration in supporting change
In May 2026, CELCIS brought together colleagues working in East Lothian and Glasgow in a webinar to hear about the role of collaboration in supporting change. Button: View the recording and resources: https://www.celcis.org/learn-with-us/celcis-webinar-recordings/the-role-of-collaboration-in-supporting-change
Video icon: Embedding data gathering and analysis into practice
In this video, Marissa Durnan, Community Research Officer for Families Together East Lothian, shares how she works with colleagues to embed data gathering and analysis into everyday practice, the challenges and opportunities this brings, and how offering flexible ways for families to provide feedback helps improve data quality and outcomes.
Button: Watch the video [link East Lothian Marissa Data v1.mp4