This is the second inspection in a row in which the Edinburgh Young Persons Service, which is managed by LinkLiving – part of the Link group of social enterprises – has received a grade 6 (Excellent) in all areas it was assessed on.

During the assessment, the Care Inspectorate interviewed several young people who receive or have received support from the service.

One of the young people commented: “Link has supported me through hard situations in my life, I will always be grateful for their support and understanding.

“They have been professional, helpful, understanding, supportive, good at guiding me into the right places and overall very friendly and kind.

“I have also learnt a lot of techniques from staff on how to deal with speaking on the telephone, meetings and how to approach services I need.”

The service works with young people affected by homelessness and includes both a visiting support service an intensive support project for care leavers. It offers practical, social, emotional and employability support.

Director of LinkLiving, Sarah Smith, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received top marks from the Care Inspectorate again.

“I am particularly pleased the report emphasised the hard work of the staff team as a highlight.

“The LinkLiving team works hard to ensure the young people we support learn the skills needed to manage their lives and live more independently.”