Item 6 - Whole Family Wellbeing Fund Update
West Dunbartonshire Council · 21 May 2026
Back to Community Planning West Dunbartonshire Management Board — 21 May 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Report by the Chief Education Officer Management Group: February 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to: Inform members of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund and; Update on plans to deliver whole family supports. 2. Recommendations 2.1 Community Planning Partnership (CPP) West Dunbartonshire is asked to: note progress and strategic direction of plans. 3. Background 3.1 Scottish Government (SG) have established the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF) over the lifetime of this parliament (2022-2026). They have committed £500 million to support Community Planning Partnerships to: support the whole system transformational change required to reduce the need for crisis intervention and; shift investment towards prevention and early intervention. Appendix 1 – National Principles of Holistic Whole Family Support. 3.2 It is their ambition that by 2030 at least 5% of all community-based health and social care spend will be on preventative whole family support measures. 3.3 Funding priorities are focused on: supporting capacity building at local and national level; supporting the scaling up of existing transformational practice in line with holistic whole family support principles and; demonstrating positive impact for families. 3.4 The fund is split into three elements: £32 million to support Children’s Services Planning Partnerships, £6 million to enable direct support to CPP’s from a national improvement team and the third element supporting new, SG led national policy delivery that will help transform how families are supported(decisions on this element are still pending). ITEM 6
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3.5 It is expected that when WFWF ceases at the end of 2027-2028, local investment will have realigned to support the new systems and services it has enabled. 4. Main Issues 4.1 WDC has established a multi-agency steering group to develop a strategic approach to delivering Whole Family Wellbeing changes and improvements. Key staff have been identified who will progress workstreams. Plans and updates are and will continue to be reflected in the Integrated Children’s Services Plan. This Lead Group has skills and values centred on the principles of holistic whole family support and a commitment to working in new and different ways to join up resources and approaches. The establishment of a cyclical series of meetings by the Expert Group and the Changemaker Groups ensures joined up decision making and action planning which is timely, effective and impactful. 4.2 Our vision of family support is one which is clearly accessible and readily available to all and any family who needs it. We aim to ensure families are able to access the help they need, where and when they need it for as long as it is needed. In this way, we will shift towards a West Dunbartonshire where more of our children know and experience care, compassion and love, as opposed to a ‘care system’. This will enable us to fulfil the right of children to be raised safely in their own families; where those family’s skills and capacities have been developed and strengthened, leaving them better equipped to support their children. 4.3 Our strategy guides partners in jointly developing systems to provide holistic support which addresses the needs of children and adults in a family at the time of need rather than at times of crisis. In turn, it is anticipated this will help families to flourish, reduce the chances of family breakdown, and of children entering the care system. It takes account of The Promise Scotland and clearly highlights the importance of un-stigmatised access to effective universal and intensive family support with early intervention and prevention at its core. 4.4 We recognise the need to ensure the voice of our children, young people and families is crucial to ensuring we develop our systems in a way they recognise reflects their needs and views. We aim to develop pathways to support where the experiences of our families are embedded in their rights, their needs and their hopes, informed by recent survey activity. A Family Wellbeing, Participation and Involvement Lead Officer has been appointed to support the coordination, strategic planning and developments surrounding West Dunbartonshire's aspirations to fully implement our Whole Family Wellbeing Route Map and Plan. In addition, a Whole Family Wellbeing Support Officer has been appointed. This Officer has responsibility to support in the delivery of the expectations of Family Support and the collaboration across services to drive forward our shared ambitions associated with The Promise, UNCRC and GIRFEC.
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4.5 A revised calendar of Quality Improvement and Self-Evaluation has been produced and is being implemented, which will lead all Nurtured DIG partners in evaluating How Good Is Our Family Support. This process supports partners over a three year cycle, to consider the four themes of family support and outcomes of this will inform developments and improvements to service delivery. 4.6 Planning and delivery of supports has involved establishing three Family Help WDC sites across the Council; Clydebank Central, Dumbarton Central and Bonhill. Families will be able to access a range of workers and supports on the premises in any given day. Staffing of the Hubs includes: 5 Outreach Workers and an NHS Neurodevelopment Team. They will offer planned group and 1-1 sessions focussing on family help. This partnership working will offer opportunities for professional learning for the wider multi-agency workforce, with a series of ND specific CPD sessions for staff from all agencies being delivered in each hub. NHS staff from Specialist Children's Services (including Paediatricians, Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy), CAMHS (including Psychology and Nursing), and from the ND team itself will deliver these sessions. 4.8 A diverse range of multi-agency staff and partners provides a suite of family help supports coordinated and delivered in the premises and elsewhere as appropriate. These include: W4U supporting access to financial support, Neurodevelopmental workers, Includem, Education Outreach workers, Specialists in Family Group Decision Making, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Family Nursing staff. The impact of this work is measured and evaluated to inform progress and next steps. Appendix 2 – WFWF Annual Report 2024-25 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no people implications as a result of this report. However, it is essential that partners collaborate to re-align resource allocation and priorities to meet the needs of children, young people and families with Early Help as we progress towards 2028. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 There are no direct financial implications for Community Planning West Dunbartonshire resulting from this report. All activities related to the implementation of these interventions are contained within allocated SG funding. 7. Risk Analysis
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7.1 If the Council is unable to ensure positive outcomes for children, we will not be meeting their needs (Children and Young People Act 2014) (Equalities Act 2010). 7.2 If the Council is unable to meet the needs of children, young people and families this could result in reputational damage. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 The plans enhance the quality of the service provided to all children, young people and families, therefore it can be seen to have a positive impact in terms of the equalities 9. Consultation 9.1 Legal Services and the Section 95 Officer have been consulted in relation to the content of this report. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 This report reflects the Council’s aspiration to reduce inequalities for the people of West Dunbartonshire. Person to Contact: Claire Cusick Senior Education Officer Appendices: Appendix 1 – National Principles of Holistic Whole Family Support. http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781804351208 Appendix 2 – WFWF Annual Report 2024-25 Wards Affected: All