Welcome to ABEL’s Website

What sort of help does our service provide?

ABEL evolved from a campaign pressure group founded by parents in 1997, who at the time were experiencing first-hand the devastating effects bullying behaviour can have on a child and their family.

Parents worked voluntarily to increase awareness of bullying issues and provided a voice for families who were concerned about bullying behaviour in schools, community establishments and the wider community. Through their work and funding from The Big Lottery ABEL began its journey as a voluntary Organisation.

ABEL now provides essential support for children, young people and their families in East Lothian so that they don’t have to suffer the devastating effects of bullying behaviour in silence. Our one to one work not only supports the young person but when appropriate we work with parents as well to help them support their child.

We work closely with schools and other professionals in East Lothian to meet the needs of the people we are working with. As time and resources allow we also deliver bespoke workshops, group work and training to help compliment the one to one work we do. When available, we train volunteers who then co-facilitate workshops with a member of the ABEL team. We have worked with volunteers ranging from students to retired professionals who are willing to give up their time to support this important work.