On Tuesday 9th April, we held a ceilidh for the families we support through our Family Keywork service.
At the wonderfully friendly and hospitable Townhead Village Hall, mums, dads and rowdy kids danced and celebrated a bit of Scottish culture.
Like any good school disco, everybody sat on the sidelines to begin with, but soon the infectious energy of staff and volunteers captured the attention of the more outgoing kids, and before we knew it we had a full room dancing the Virginia Reel, 4 year-olds dangling from every limb, everyone having a brilliant time. Tired parents watched from the sides, enjoying pent-up energy being spent; or joined in the dancing, trying out a waltz or a two-step as the band patiently explained simple steps to a room full of energy.
We finished the evening off with a vibrant Dashing White Sergeant, spinning round and round and round in a flurry of excitement. Thankyou to the Family Keywork team, Townhead Village Hall, SRC staff and volunteers, our keyboard and fiddle players and, of course, to our amazing families for a hugely successful event.
Our Family Keywork Service offers specialised advice and support to families with young children aged 0-8 years who have recently entered the asylum process. Support is for at least six months after arrival or dispersal to Scotland.
We focus on early identification of the needs of parents and children and building families’ understanding of asylum, health, and education and other UK and Scottish systems.
A key aspect of our service is creating social connections in order to prevent isolation and ensure that families are spending quality time together, making happy memories through which to grow and thrive.
