The services provided by the Olivebank Child and Family Centre will soon be moving to a new home within the Wallyford Learning Campus.
The move will deliver a modern purpose-designed space for users of the service which will operate as the Acorn Infant Family Centre.
The Acorn Centre will open to families on Wednesday, 4 March.
The current Olivebank Centre in Market Street, Musselburgh, will close on Thursday, 26 February. The building is approaching the end of its functional lifespan and is no longer considered fully fit for purpose.
The free service works on a referral only basis with families facing multiple adversities and focuses on parents and infants from pregnancy until the child is two years old. Tailoring interventions to individual families, it offers home visits as well as group and one-to-one work both within the centre and in the community.
Lifelong health and wellbeing
Cllr Fiona Dugdale, the council’s Cabinet Spokesperson for Education and Children’s and Family Services, said: “The move to the Wallyford Learning Campus will support the delivery of a high-quality service and offer access to additional facilities such as the library and community centre.
“The Acorn Centre’s more central and accessible location will also reduce travel for the majority of users.
“Their new home will allow centre staff to continue their excellent work in addressing both the practical and emotional needs of families during the critical early stages of parenthood, laying the foundation for a child’s lifelong health and wellbeing.”
In 2023 the Olivebank Child and Family Centre underwent a strategic redesign to strengthen its support for families with young children. While the centre historically provided daycare and support services for vulnerable children and their families, it shifted its focus to early intervention - specifically perinatal and postnatal support for families from pregnancy through to the child’s second year.