Investment to ensure children Thrive at Five

Published 25 June 2026

Additional support to help families from pregnancy to primary school will be rolled out in West Dunbartonshire in a first for Scotland.

A new programme, delivered in partnership with charity Thrive at Five, will be available initially for up to 2500 children to help them develop strong foundations for life and learning as well as achieve long-term sustained improvements in their development. 

A key focus will be to improve children’s speech, language and communication skills and reduce the number of children starting school with developmental concerns.

Members of Educational Services agreed to the three-year partnership with the UK based charity this week, which will work alongside Family Hubs, Early Learning and Childcare Centres and primary schools starting in selected areas.

The partnership in West Dunbartonshire will bring new investment into the area to ensure families have the knowledge, confidence and help at the right time and place, when they need it.

West Dunbartonshire Council is the first in Scotland to partner with the charity.

Figures show by the time children start primary school aged 4 or 5 in West Dunbartonshire, over a quarter (27%) are reported as having at least one developmental concern compared to the Scottish annual average of 19 per cent.

The programme will bring together everybody who supports children and families in the early years, together with parents and carers to support parent/infant relationships and parental wellbeing; improve quality of the home learning environment; early language and communication, and the quality of early education and childcare.

Councillor Michelle McGinty, Convener of Educational Services, said: “I welcome this new initiative which will offer targeted support to our families in the first five years of parenthood, which is a critical time in their child’s development. I look forward to the programme progressing and seeing firsthand the difference this is going to make to families in West Dunbartonshire.”

Councillor John Millar, Vice Convener of Educational Services, said: “This is great for parents who I know will welcome and embrace this news. Anything we can do to support our children to not only meet their milestones but exceed them is to be commended.  I am also pleased that along with supporting families, this initiative will also create jobs locally for up to 10 people in the first phase of the programme.”

Eleanor Passmore, Thrive at Five’s Scotland Director, said: “West Dunbartonshire is already leading the way in its work on early language. We look forward to working alongside the council, parents, carers and everyone in communities who are already doing so much to support children in those critical early years. Through our work in other parts of the UK we have drawn from the best available evidence about what works and there are lots of great examples of practical ways we can support families to give their children the best start in life.”