Dr Bell’s Family Centre has been supporting families in Leith since 2006. By offering a welcoming, safe place where families with young children can get support, advice and encouragement, we help remove barriers for families who already face multiple socio-economic challenges. Dr Bell’s Family Centre serves parents and children living in an area among the highest levels of deprivation in Scotland (SIMD 2020) and for whom generational poverty and disadvantage has resulted in low attainment, poor health, mental health issues, as well as feelings of stigma and isolation.

We work with parents and children together and separately with a holistic approach to improve their overall wellbeing through offerings such as workshops and drop-in sessions focused on health; counselling sessions and groups to help parents learn coping mechanisms to relieve stress and mental health issues; parenting support groups and playgroups to provide stimulating and developmentally appropriate environments for children; and nutrition and cooking classes for families and groups of families to promote healthy choices and bring together the community for meals, support, and networking. We also provide childcare in our creche to enable parents to attend essential appointments, groups and sessions.