Resetting the Standard: A Collaborative Approach to Community Resilience for Older People

"When we listen to people, build relationships, and work together across sectors, we can create meaningful, lasting change."

At its core, The Reset Programme was about redesigning how we support older people to thrive in their communities. Born from a collaborative partnership between Cyrenians, Queen Margaret University (QMU), and the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, Reset aimed to shape more efficient and responsive community services for people aged 50 and over.

Rather than working in silos, this project brought together academic research, frontline service delivery, and strategic oversight. The shared goal was to learn, adapt, and innovate through participatory action research (PAR) – ensuring those with lived experience were central to shaping the support they received.

A dedicated outreach team of four Community Resilience Workers (CRWs) led the way, supporting people across Edinburgh’s localities. Referrals came from locality hubs, hospital teams, and community services, enabling CRWs to intervene early – whether someone was living at home or still in hospital awaiting discharge.

Every journey began with a deep understanding of their individual circumstances. CRWs worked collaboratively to identify environmental and personal factors that impacted the person’s resilience. From there, they agreed goals aimed at boosting independence, improving wellbeing, and making everyday life more manageable.

At Cyrenians, they take a public health approach to preventing the causes and consequences of homelessness, grounded in learning from lived experience. They recognise that there are many pathways into homelessness, and by providing targeted services focused on prevention, early intervention, and access to appropriate housing, they aim to ensure that individuals receive the practical and emotional support they need.

Support at Reset was holistic, practical, and varied—whether it was improving a home environment, securing financial stability, fostering new social connections, or ensuring safety and access to health services. Most importantly, CRWs worked with people for as long as needed, providing relationship-based, trauma-informed support that recognised the complexity of each person’s story.

The Reset Programme did not just deliver support—it studied and evolved it. Regular Participatory Action Research (PAR) groups facilitated by QMU helped ensure that staff, participants, and partners could reflect, challenge, and shape practice together. Progress was tracked not only through conversations and reviews but also through case studies, quotes, and photos, capturing the human side of their work.

They embraced a culture of continuous learning, where staff wellbeing and reflective practice were prioritised. By giving CRWs space to discuss their casework, support one another, and receive supervision tailored to their individual needs, they strengthened the entire team’s resilience too.

Pauline, from Cyrenians shares “one of the most tangible outcomes of Reset was its role in reducing hospital admissions and re-admissions—a clear indicator of the value of early, preventative intervention.” By supporting timely discharges and smoothing the transition back home, they helped people to avoid unnecessary stays and reclaim their independence sooner.

The executive summary and final report capture the key learning points and insights gained throughout the project. But at the heart of Reset’s success is a simple truth: when we listen to people, build relationships, and work together across sectors, we can create meaningful, lasting change.

You can access the key learning points in the executive summary and final report.

You can read all Connected Communities case studies here: https://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/blog/case_studies/?projects=connected-communities