Home-Start - support for families

Home-Start is a well established national charity. They recruit and train parent volunteers to be a support for other families experiencing difficulties.

The volunteers can provide emotional and practical support, and friendship, to families with at least one child under the age of five.

From differing backgrounds and various ages, but all with parenting experience, HomeStart volunteers can represent a lifeline to families when times are difficult, such as multiple births, coping with bereavement or post-natal illness, or relationship difficulties.

By offering their time and friendship, volunteers enable families to develop new relationships, ideas and skills. Listening to parents, playing with the children, helping with practical chores in the home, accompanying families to appointments, being beside the parent when confronting new activities or community groups, are all ways in which volunteers may offer support, usually once a week for 2 to 3 hours.

All volunteers are trained and carefully matched to each family they help. They all have a criminal records check to ensure your family’s safety.

The service is free and confidential.

Families are referred for help from: health visitors, schools, housing & welfare groups, children & family centres and social services.

For more information you can look at the Home-Start website or make contact at any of the above mentioned referral points. Alternatively you can telephone Bridget Richardson on 01903 889707.