03 — Support
Employability support and mental health provision — both available to help you achieve your goals. Because rebuilding your professional life and looking after yourself are not separate tasks.
Employability support
Whether you're a freelancer rebuilding your client base, someone returning to employment after time out for parenting, or a parent who was pushed out of work when flexible working was refused — you don't have to navigate this alone.
One-to-one employment guidance is delivered on-site, or by referral, by the City of Edinburgh Council PES team, at no extra cost to you.
Our employability support is delivered directly by City of Edinburgh Council Parental Employability team, on-site at the Hub or by referral. No waiting list — just ask when you arrive.
Whether you're job-seeking, freelancing, running a small business, or just beginning to think about what comes next — the support is available to all members and visitors.
What's available
Direct, personalised support from City of Edinburgh Council's Parental Employability team.
A structured pathway into business admin or early years practice, developed in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council — for those who want a real career, not just a placement.
Practical infrastructure for self-employed parents — from a professional business address to peer connections with other freelancing parents at the hub.
Regular sessions on topics that matter — CV writing, job hunting, running a business as a parent, navigating flexible working rights, and more.
Mental health support
The exhaustion of early parenthood is real. Not the tiredness of a bad night, but the deeper, structural exhaustion of holding everything at once — your career, your child, your household, your sense of self.
Work+Play Hub is building tailored mental health support for working parents — designed around the specific emotional complexity of trying to maintain a professional life while raising young children. This is not a clinical service. It is a human one.
It is not currently available on site. We are working to make it available as soon as possible. Register your interest below and we'll be in touch as soon as it launches.
Peer support circlesSmall group conversations for working parents — facilitated, but not clinical. A space to say the things you don't say elsewhere.
One-to-one supportAccess to qualified mental health practitioners who understand the specific pressures of early parenthood and professional life.
Workshops & webinarsFree online and in-person sessions covering mental health, confidence, and emotional wellbeing for working parents.
Signposting & resourcesConnections to the right support — whether that's within the hub, or elsewhere in Edinburgh's network of mental health services.
Why this matters
54% of mothers reduce their working hours after maternity leave. Many leave the workforce entirely — not because they want to, but because the infrastructure doesn't exist to support them staying. The financial loss is significant. The personal cost is greater.
Work+Play Hub exists as proof that a better system is possible. Part of that proof is taking the mental health of working parents seriously — not as an afterthought, but as a core part of what we offer.
A session at Work+Play Hub is not just about getting work done. Parents leave having accomplished more professionally and personally than a fragmented week at home would allow.
Being around people who understand your reality — without having to explain it — has genuine restorative value. That community is part of what we're building.
If you're struggling and want to talk to someone, please reach out. We can help connect you with the right support — whether that's within the hub or through Edinburgh's wider network.
Register your interest
Leave your email and we'll contact you as soon as this service is available. No spam, no obligation — just a notification when it's ready.
If you're struggling right now and need support sooner, you can also email us at hello@workplusplayhub.com and we'll do our best to signpost you to the right help.
We'll only use your email to notify you about this specific service. We won't share your details with anyone.