About Circle

About Us

Circle is a Scottish charity which provides holistic, community based support to marginalised children and families. We are highly regarded for pioneering a range of early years and family support services that promote children's healthy development and potential.

Our services are currently focused on:

Work to improve opportunities for disadvantaged families
Children at risk of school exclusion and their families
Children experiencing neglect, physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse
Children and families affected by parental drug and alcohol use
Children whose parents are prisoners
Fathers in their role as parents
Workforce development through mentoring and student training opportunities

Circle was formerly part of the UK wide organisation FSU which had been providing services in Scotland since 1974 for some of the most vulnerable children and families. Circle currently works across Edinburgh, West Lothian, North and South Lanarkshire.

In 2007/8 Circle’s services worked with:

172 families affected by parental drug and alcohol use
86 families whose children are having difficulties in school.
50 primary school children who were linked with a secondary school mentor
15 children where independent assessments were needed to determine life long care plans.
109 children received after school, group work or respite from our Haven project.
20 social work and art therapy students completed placements.

The worker has helped me in being more confident in myself with rules for the children, being more consistent, sticking to what I say. That has made a difference with the children. Service User

Circle’s services have been effective in:

improving school attendance and behaviour
reducing risks to children living with parental substance use
helping parents to achieve positive changes in their lives
reducing the risk of family breakdown and need for children to be accommodated

Collaborative working with drug and alcohol services was seen by parents and professionals as making a major difference in ensuring parents stay engaged in treatment.

Now he is going to school again, I don’t feel so much a failure; I am starting to be a proper dad, one that thinks about his kid’s future. Service User

Cost of school exclusion£64,149

(NPC estimate)

Payback on early years investment 4-5 times initial investment

(The Work Foundation)

New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) sees Circle’s work as valuable in tackling truancy and exclusion (see report School’s Out?
Alan Sinclair says investment in early years and family support services benefits disadvantaged children most. Read this report from The Work Foundation.

The most recent evaluations of services in West Lothian and Lanarkshire show:

	West Lothian (51 families)	Lanarkshire (75 families)
Improvements in parenting: parents' views	90% scored Circle as good or excellent.	75% scored Circle as excellent.
stakeholders' views	87% scored Circle as good or excellent.	75% scored Circle as excellent.
Improvements in school attendance: parents' views	50% scored this as excellent.	66% scored this as good to excellent.
stakeholders' views	74% scored this as good to excellent	66% scored this as good to excellent.

Families were helped to engage with GPs, housing, mental health services. Some were rehoused.