A new educational day service for young adults with learning disabilities and autism in East Lothian is set to be launched in Musselburgh.

The ‘Teens+’ programme, which is organised and run by charity organisation Capella, will be based at Eskmills Business Park.

The new service is being supported by East Lothian Health & Social Care Partnership’s (ELHSCP) Community Living Fund and Carers Strategy monies.

A spokesperson for ELHSCP said there were currently two Teens+ facilities based in Edinburgh; however, the expansion of the service into East Lothian allowed for young people to gain “the wealth of benefits and opportunities much closer to home”.

It has been brought to East Lothian to further support the Community Transformation Programme for Adults with Complex Needs, she added.

The spokesperson explained: “Teens+ is a person-centred programme supporting the needs and aspirations of students to help them to develop social and life skills.

“The service provides a range of education and therapeutic disciplines to support students and their families to learn new skills and approaches, preparing them for the future.

“Young people can gain access to education tutors and highly experienced project workers who collectively build an extensive individual learning plan, tailored for each student.”

She said: “As well as working within the base at Eskmills, students also enjoy getting out into the local community to create opportunities for learning and development in a range of settings.”

Although an official launch is being planned for early next month, the service has already welcomed its first students through its doors, with a number of young people making use of the locally based service instead of travelling to Edinburgh.

Over the next three years, the service intends to expand to support up to 25 young adults from across the county.

Councillor Shamin Akhtar, spokesperson for health & social care and vice-chairperson of the joint integration board, visited the Teens+ service.

She said: “It was fantastic to be able to visit Teens+ in Musselburgh and experience the unique transitional education project for young adults with complex and communications needs first hand.

“It’s an incredible facility and I was delighted to catch up with some of the first pupils attending the centre from Meadowpark, Haddington.”

Fiona Wilson, chief officer of ELHSCP, added: “This is another great example of partnership working at its best. Working alongside third-sector agencies, we have collectively been able to enhance our Community Transformation Programme and bring specialist services to a convenient location within our county borders.

“Not only will this have an incredibly positive effect on the teens’ confidence and independence, it will provide a number of benefits for families and carers too.

“We are looking forward to expanding this service and welcoming more individuals in the months and years to come.”