In 2024, our Transforming Lives campaign shone a spotlight on the barriers children, young people and families face across education, mental health, youth justice, accessing rights, and the realities of living in poverty.
At the heart of our campaign was a commitment to amplifying the voices of those we support and ensuring that their experiences reach the people with the power transform their lives.
This year, we’re building on original work and we are excited to officially launch the next stage of our campaign – Transforming Lives: Whole Family Support.
The Scottish Government’s vision for Whole Family Support is clear:
“Every family that needs support gets the right family support at the right time to fulfil children’s right to be raised safely in their own families, for as long as it is needed.”
At includem, this vision is already guides our practice across our services and projects in Scotland. While our work is shaped by local authority contracts and service specifications, our values stay the same:
The child or young person is at the centre of everything we do.
To truly support and transform the lives of children and young people, we must support their families too.
Whole Family Support means working alongside families to create lasting, positive change.
It’s strengths-based, rooted in families’ own goals, and delivered through trusting relationships and local knowledge.
Through this campaign, we will explore the impact of Whole Family Support across three key areas:
We’ll share powerful stories from children, young people and families, and hear directly from our colleagues delivering support.
Together, we’ll highlight what’s working—and what still needs to change.
Housing
Good, safe, affordable housing is the foundation for family wellbeing. Yet too many families we work with are living in unsuitable conditions: housing that’s overcrowded, insecure, unaffordable, or affected by damp and mould. Some families we support face eviction or homelessness.
Our campaign will spotlight these realities by asking: What role can Whole Family Support play in tackling this housing crisis? What action is needed from local and national government to make safe, stable homes a reality for all?
Education
We have long engaged with decision-makers about the barriers children and young people face in education. Our teams regularly support families to bridge the gap between home and school—whether that’s through helping a young person re-engage with learning, supporting parents to navigate complex systems, or working with schools to understand and respond to distressed behaviour.
This summer, that work will continue with a strong focus on giving children and young people the space, time and encouragement they need to feel able to contribute to this work.
Youth Justice
For 25 years, includem has stood alongside young people in, or at risk of entering, the criminal justice system. Our approach is grounded in relationships, resilience and belief in each young person’s potential.
This campaign will highlight the systemic challenges that push young people into conflict with the law—and make the case for approaches that keep them supported, not punished.
Over the coming months, we will engage directly with the children, young people and families we support, and with the colleagues who work with them every day.
Their voices will shape our calls to action.
We’ll continue to share updates through URSPACE, our children and young people’s magazine, and our Youth Inspire Group will play a vital role in making sure our messaging is relevant, accessible and real.
We’ll also collaborate with partners across Scotland and the UK—because we know that achieving meaningful change takes all of us.
Follow us on social media or reach out at publicaffairs@includem.co.uk to stay up to date with Transforming Lives: Whole Family Support. Together, we can work towards a Scotland where every child, young person and family has the support they need to thrive.
