Children’s Minister, Adam Ingram today visited the Family Support Project in Fife. The project, started last year with Fairer Scotland funding, aims to provide extra support for parents and their children pre-birth to three years.

Potential benefits include supporting staff development alongside parental engagement and enabling schools and early years settings to manage and sustain future groups and workshops to better support vulnerable parents.

By building relationships within early years settings and the community, the project also hopes to build parents’ confidence and empower them to give their children the best possible start in life. 

Within a year project has expanded from 8 venues to 14 and supports groups of parents and individuals in their own community. 

Adam Ingram commented on the success of the project saying:

“There is a comprehensive, strong range of evidence available which shows that the early years are crucial to a child’s health, development and life opportunities. By providing the right support in those early years we can help reduce the risk of poor health, poor educational outcomes and poor employment opportunities later on in life. 

“I want to congratulate everyone involved in this project – from the support team to the parents themselves – who in a short period of time, have helped make it such a success for local people and their children.”

Project workers have been equally enthusiastic, stating they feel family support helps individuals and their children gain the confidence and skills to progress with their lives in a more positive manner and influences the wellbeing of the whole family.

Local parents are also positive about the Fife project saying that having somewhere to go with children really makes a difference to their lives and helps them to feel a part of the community.

To find out more contact Jane Mason (Learning and Teaching Officer Early Years at Fife Council) on 08451 555 555 ext. 442073