Together to Thrive is a Dundee-based project taking a collaborative approach to improving the mental health and wellbeing of children with neuro-developmental needs.
Together to Thrive is based on a ‘task sharing’ model of delivery, redirecting support from specialist mental health services to community-based settings.
At its heart Together to Thrive aims to improve whole family wellbeing by ensuring that families can access skilled help from community-based practitioners in a timely way.
Together to Thrive's aims
Together to Thrive seeks to:
- enhance collaboration between Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs)
- improve accessibility to specialist support
- enable families to feel more supported
- increase confidence of community-based organisations in supporting families with their children’s needs
- create a Dundee Framework for a Task Sharing Approach
Together to Thrive has already made a significant difference to our lives... The project has given us practical advice that we never had access to previously... There is still a long way to go and we continue to face new and daily challenges, but we now feel like there is light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel.
What is task sharing?
Task sharing is at the heart of Together to Thrive's approach.
Task sharing builds on community organisations and mental health providers’ strengths and helps both to take on important new roles so they can meet the needs of the community, build the skills and confidence of community-based staff to deliver evidence-informed interventions and develop and strengthen new referral pathways.
Through using this task-sharing approach, Together to Thrive offers community-based practitioners the opportunity to learn from CAMHS teams and aligned experts to enhance their knowledge, skills and confidence in the following areas: sleep, sensory awareness, trauma-informed practice, positive behaviour support and reflective parenting.
Working in partnership
Together to Thrive is a multi-agency collaboration between the Mental Health Foundation, NHS Tayside Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Dundee City Council, third sector organisations, and schools. The programme provides support to families in Dundee with a child on the CAMHS waiting list for neurodevelopmental (ND) assessment or who has been identified as having emerging ND difference.
Together to Thrive is currently working in partnership with One Parent Families Scotland, Dundee Carers Centre, Barnardo's, Relationships Scotland Tayside and Fife, The Speech Language Communication Company, Dundee Women's Aid, NHS Tayside School Nursing Team, Dundee City Council Kinship Team, Dundee City Council Children and Families Service, Dundee City Council Fostering and Adoption Team, Community Health Team, The Yard, Tayside Council on Alcohol and several primary schools in Dundee.
Together to Thrive is funded by the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund until March 2026.
Making a difference
In 2025 we commissioned an evaluation of the programme to measure the impact Together to Thrive is having on the families who receive support.
This report supplements our test and learn pilot process evaluation completed in 2024. The focus of this evaluation is on understanding challenges and successes around the initial development and implementation of Together to Thrive.
Impact on families
Our evaluation found that, as a result of participating in the Together to Thrive programme:
- parents and carers feel better able to support their children’s needs. This is as a result of increasing their understanding of their own emotions and behaviours and those of their children, and through the information and techniques provided.
- parents and carers feel valued and listened to by Together to Thrive practitioners, often for the first time, which has helped them feel more confident and supported.
- parents and carers feel less alone, are able to pass on advice to one another, and support each other outside of the group.
- There was some evidence that families with more complex needs or nearer crisis were less positively impacted.
Outcomes for practitioners
Our evaluation found that:
- practitioners’ understanding and skills relating to ND differences were significantly enhanced, with reflective parenting being valued highly
- practitioners were able to provide more flexible and tailored support to families and to do so confidently, as a result of the increased knowledge, skills and tools provided by Together to Thrive
- collaboration between organisations improved as a result of Together to Thrive increasing networking opportunities and providing shared language and frameworks
The programme and the training gave me a really nice framework to
work from... it sort of underpins a lot of my values as a practitioner and a
worker with families.
Find out more
Parenting can be one of life’s most rewarding journeys, but it also comes with challenges that no one should have to face alone. Together to Thrive is a task-sharing project designed to bridge the gap between mental health and behaviour specialists, community based practitioners and families, ensuring that parents have access to skilled, evidence informed support at the right time.
In this film, we hear directly from the voices at the heart of this initiative - parents sharing their experiences, struggles, and triumphs, and practitioners reflecting on the importance of collaboration, trust, and community-based care. Their stories highlight the power of connection and the impact of shared knowledge in building stronger, healthier families.
For information contact Jacqui Paton, Project Manager jpaton@mentalhealth.org.uk