Progress your career: free Childhood Practice courses

East Lothian Works is offering free childhood practice courses to help those working in childcare settings advance their careers.

Do you work with children and young people and feel ready to take the next step? This is an excellent opportunity to explore flexible study options in childhood education, play work, and childcare leadership.

In partnership with Edinburgh College, we are delivering Social Services Children and Young People (SSCYP) courses from SCQF Level 6 to Level 8.

What’s included:

• free online study
• courses starting in August/September
• additional support sessions with Assessors

These courses are designed to help you develop your skills, gain recognised qualifications, and advance your professional journey within the childcare sector.

To request an application form or for further information, please contact East Lothian Works:

Email: elworks@eastlothian.gov.uk
Telephone: 01620 827262

Health and safety - self service forms

To improve our service, Health and Safety have introduced a small number of MS forms to make it easier for you communicate with us.

Just visit our intranet homepage and click on the self help forms button.

More forms will be added over the next few months.

For any other queries/requests please contact healthandsafety@eastlothian.gov.uk

Ask for Angela: supporting safety across East Lothian

We are introducing the Ask for Angela campaign as part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding and supporting people who may feel vulnerable or unsafe.

Originally developed by Lincolnshire County Council, the campaign has been adopted by local authorities, licensed venues, and organisations across the UK. It encourages venues and public-facing services to display information advising customers that if they feel unsafe on a date or in a social situation, they can discreetly approach staff and “Ask for Angela”.

Staff who have received training will recognise this phrase as a request for help and will respond appropriately. This may include:

• helping the individual leave the premises safely
• contacting a friend or arranging a taxi
• alerting security staff or management
• contacting the police where necessary

The campaign is widely recognised as a simple but effective safeguarding initiative that promotes personal safety and responsible service delivery.

For more information about the campaign, visit Ask for Angela.

Why are we implementing Ask for Angela?

Our key objectives are to:

• improve personal safety within licensed premises, community centres and frontline council services
• increase staff awareness of vulnerability and safeguarding issues
• provide clear guidance on how to support customers who feel unsafe
• strengthen partnership working between the council, licensed trade and community safety partners
• promote a safe and responsible night-time economy and community environment across East Lothian

Train the trainer programme

To support the rollout of the campaign, a Train the Trainer course will take place on Wednesday 22 July 2026 at John Muir House, Haddington.

The course has capacity for 50 participants, who will then be equipped to deliver training within their own teams and partner organisations.

We are keen to attract staff from a wide range of public-facing services, including:

• Protective Services
• Social Work and Social Services
• Safer Communities
• Libraries and Community Centres
• ELC Contact Centre
• Housing
• Education

Places will also be offered to external partners, including Police Scotland, Local Area Partnerships, and drug and alcohol support services.

Information will be shared with managers and teams to help identify suitable staff members to attend the course and subsequently support wider implementation across services.

Register your interest

Expressions of interest can be submitted from 3 June 2026 via the registration form.

Please ensure you have discussed your application with your manager before completing the form.

The registration period will close on Friday 3 July 2026. Fifty participants will then be selected to ensure representation from a broad range of services and organisations.

Following the training, participants will be expected to begin delivering awareness sessions within their teams and support the introduction of the Ask for Angela scheme in frontline services and community spaces.

Find out more

If you would like further information about the campaign or the training programme, please contact Karen Harling at kharling1@eastlothian.gov.uk.

Meditation sessions update

Planned meditation sessions on Thursdays in John Muir House have been cancelled. This is due to the low uptake of the sessions.

First Aid at Work: limited places 8-10 June

Our Outdoor Learning Service has a limited number of places left on next week's First Aid at Work(FAW) course,8-10 June 2026. This course is also suitable for anyone who needs to revalidate their existing FAW certificate in the near future.

Book online now