Multi-Cultural Family Base  is celebrating after having won an award at the 2018 Scottish Social Services Awards (SSSA) for 'Excellence in Children's Services" for its Safe Haven project, which supports newly arrived children and families who have come to Edinburgh under the United Nations Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

The SSSA 2018 award ceremony took place in the Mansfield Traquair in Edinburgh on 6 June 2018 and was hosted by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years, Maree Todd and Young Scot winner, Chelsea Cameron. The Safe Haven project were joint winners of the award together with the 'Play is Our Work' project run by Broxburn Family Centre.

The Excellence in Children's Services award was introduced as a new category at this year's awards in recognition of 2018 being Scottish Year of Young People and all projects in this category were judged by a panel of young people. The award recognises and rewards inidividuals or teams who support the most vulnerable children overcome adversity and achieve improved outcomes. The SSSA judges praised Multi-Cultural Family Base, noting the vulnerabilities of families and the importance of culturally sensitive approaches as a particular reason for the nomination. 

Emma Watt, project worker for the Safe Haven project said:
"We are delighted to win an award for Excellence in Children's Services for our Safe Haven project, and so proud of our amazing team from Ireland, Aleppo and Gaza. Most of all, however, we are proud of the Syrian Yazidi, Syrian Kurdish and Syrian Arab children who continue to inspire us with their resilience, strength and creativity in building their new lives in Edinburgh"

Steve Gowenlock, MCFB Chief Executive said: 
"We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our funders, The Henry Smith Charity, Garfield Weston Foundation and Corra Foundation (Henry Duncan Grants), without whom the work would not have been possible".

This year’s awards attracted over 100 applications nationwide, representing a diverse mix of social services that have made a positive difference to people’s lives.

Minister for Childcare and Early Years, Maree Todd, said:
“We’re proud to support the Scottish Social Services Awards – it is an excellent opportunity to highlight the work of dedicated people who work across social services. By the very nature of their profession, many people and organisations who work in the sector go the extra mile for service users, so the finalists will be made up of a very impressive list.
“It’s also great to see the new category on Children’s Services will be judged by young people with experience of these services – an excellent choice as we approach 2018, the Year of Young People.”