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How to refer to the Baby Bank
If you would like to access this service for the first time, we’ll need a professional referral from your health visitor, midwife or worker at another statutory agency or charity.
Please ask them to complete the referral form via the Professionals page.
If you have already been referred by a healthcare professional you can access the service by clicking on the link below to fill in the self-referral form.
If you would struggle to complete our online form for any reason, you can ring our Baby Bank on 0131 553 5565 and we can arrange to call you back.
Baby Bank FAQs
What items does the Baby Bank provide?
If you have previously received a Newborn Baby Pack from us, this will contain all the clothes and equipment required up to the age of 6 months.
You’re welcome to make a self-referral for items you may need beyond 6 months, e.g. more advanced books or toys, clothes for any age between 6 months and 2 years, a buggy/stroller or a cotbed.
What happens after I've made a self-referral?
Our volunteers will make up your Baby Pack with the items you have requested, and we will deliver this to you on one of our twice-weekly van deliveries.
We aim to deliver packs within 3 weeks of your referral.
If we don’t have the items you have requested, you’ll be placed on a waiting list and we’ll deliver them as soon as they become available.
Our Baby Bank service (including the delivery) is free.
What locations do you cover?
We can help families and individuals throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians.
How to refer to the counselling service
Self-refer
If you want to refer to our counselling service, please fill out this short form
If you are a worker looking to refer a patient or service user, please fill out this short form
Once you have completed your referral form, our Counselling Lead will contact you with some paperwork.
- You will then be invited for an initial appointment.
- This is a chance for us to discuss your needs and to decide together if we’re the right service for you, right now.
If you think you will struggle to complete our online form for any reason, please ring our counselling service on 0131 553 5565 and we will get back to you.
Alternatively, you can email our counselling lead on counselling@ counsellingandcare .co.uk
Please let us know if you are happy to receive text messages.
If your Fast Track counselling with us has ended but you feel you need more support, it is possible to refer to the Long Term Service.
How to refer to the counselling service
If you want to refer to our counselling service, please fill out the short form below.
If you are a worker looking to refer a patient or service-user, please see our Professionals page.
Once you have completed the short form above, our Counselling Lead will be in touch to send through some more initial paperwork. You will then be invited for an initial appointment.
This is a chance for us to find out more about what you are looking for, and to decide together if we are the right service for you right now.
If you would struggle to complete our online form for any reason, you can ring our counselling service on 0131 553 5565 and we can arrange to call you back.
Please let us know if you are happy to receive text messages.
Counselling service FAQs
What areas do you work in?
At PCCS we work with clients who are going through a wide range of pregnancy-related experiences. We understand the huge impact these experiences can have on your life.
- If you want to make a decision about continuing with, or terminating a pregnancy, we want you to know that you will not be judged for making whatever decision feels right for you and your life.
- If you have experienced loss – be that through infertility or through the loss of a baby at any stage during pregnancy or beyond – we understand that your loss and your grief is unique. We want to support you to truly know that what you feel is valid.
- If you are pregnant or parenting and struggling emotionally, or if you’re left reeling from a traumatic birth experience, we understand that these can be times when your anxiety can be high and your thoughts can feel scary. We also know how lonely it can be. We won’t judge you for how you’re feeling, and we know it’s not just a case of “enjoying every minute.” We want to support you to feel less alone.
What is counselling?
Counselling is a non-judgemental space to talk with a trained professional. Your counsellor will listen with empathy and support you to unravel how you are feeling, why you might feel this way, and to make choices about what next.
Our counsellors come from different therapeutic backgrounds, so some counsellors offer a more open space to talk and allow your feelings to be heard, while others will offer more structure and techniques for coping. None of our counsellors will tell you how you should feel or offer medical advice.
At our initial appointment, we will ask you if you prefer a particular type of counselling. As we offer up to ten sessions of counselling, your counsellor will work with you to prioritise what feels more important, and make sure you work on issues that you can process in the time available.
Who do we work with?
Our service is open to people of all genders including those with trans experience and identifying as non-binary, affected by the issues we work with. We know that issues don’t just affect those who have physically gone through them, and welcome referrals from men, dads and partners. Please see our page for men and dads for more information.
We cover the whole of the Lothians and can offer counselling to clients living across this area, though in-person counselling is only available within Edinburgh.
Who are our counselling team?
Our counselling team is made up of passionate individuals who really understand the emotional impact of infertility, loss, birth, pregnancy and parenting.
Some of our counsellors are qualified practitioners, while others are in the later stages of their counselling training.
All our counsellors have gone through rigorous recruitment and additional in-house training. You will be asked at your initial appointment if you are happy to work with a counsellor in training.
Where does counselling take place?
Our Long Term Service is delivered online and in person. We are currently offering in-person sessions at 1 Lochside View, Edinburgh, EH12 9DH next to the Gyle Shopping Centre tram stop.
Our Fast Track Service is delivered online via video call.
How often are counselling sessions?
Counselling mostly takes place at the same time every week, though we may be able to offer some flexibility for clients who are working shifts and can’t attend at the same time every week. Counselling sessions last for 50 minutes.
Please find more information on the standards within our service, all of which are important to us:
Quality service
COSCA is Scotland’s professional body for counselling and psychotherapy.
We are members of the COSCA Recognition Scheme. This means that we have been assessed as meeting the standards of this scheme, and our counsellors adhere to the COSCA Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice.
We also have a clear complaints procedure and policy that gives guidance on what to do if you if you feel dissatisfied with any matter relating to your involvement with our services.
Accessibility
In terms of physical accessibility, our counselling space at the Gyle Shopping Centre is wheelchair accessible, but our space in Meadowbank is accessed by stairs. We also offer online counselling.
For clients who would struggle to access a video call for any reason, we can offer some sessions by phone.
If you would find it difficult to complete our paperwork online, we can take referrals over the phone instead. Our number is 0131 553 5565.
Accessibility is important to us. If there’s a barrier that would affect you in accessing our service, we encourage you to discuss this with us by phoning the number above or emailing our Counselling Lead at counselling@counsellingandcare.co.uk.
LGBTQ+
Members of the LGBTQ+ community are welcome at PCCS. Our service is open to people of all genders, including those with trans experience and identifying as non-binary.
We know that fertility, pregnancy and parenting spaces can sometimes feel geared towards cisgendered heterosexual relationships, but we want to be clear in welcoming clients who are in same-sex relationships, diverse relationship structures or who are single.
Safeguarding
We take the safety of our clients and others very seriously. We set out the limits on confidentiality in our counselling contract and a counsellor will discuss this with you at your initial appointment. You can read our safeguarding policies and procedures here.