Who we are
We are an independent charity run by local people, for local families. We have been improving the life chances of local children since 2001. The charity is a member of the Home-Start UK federation which is made up of 341 local charities like us and a coordinating body which provides support, public profile and quality assurance.
Our vision
Home-Start wants to see a society in which every parent has the support they need to give their children the best possible start in life.
The difference we make
We help families deal with practical and emotional difficulties. We develop their parenting and family management skills, and widen their links with the local community so they can manage by themselves after our support has ended. Our work gives parents improved health and well-being, better family relationships and the resilience to cope in times of pressure. It also contributes to keeping children safe and developing the emotional resilience they need to cope with everyday life.
How we work
We recruit, train and supervise volunteers, who are usually parents themselves, to support families with informal, friendly and confidential support – either in the family home or in a group setting outside the home. We are a local charity, affiliated to the UK Home-Start network.
Our values
· We work with the whole family.
· Our support is family-led.
· We ensure families have an effective voice on issues that matter to their lives.
· We are flexible and responsive to the needs of families.
· We are a non-judgemental, confidential service, seeking to include families who are the most excluded in their community.
· We work in partnership – with families and with other agencies.
We have 3 main projects running supporting families:
1. Continue to increase the impact of our unique home visiting service.
Home-Start’s core service is a unique, volunteer home visiting service for families with at least one child under five years. The kind of people we support include mums suffering with post-natal depression, families with twins or multiple children, teenage parents, families with children who have challenging behaviour and families with a child or parent with a disability. Volunteers visit weekly for 2-3 hours per week offering practical and emotional support.
2. Support parents and their children to become ‘school ready’.
Volunteers support children aged 2 1/2 to 4 years at home and through family groups for a maximum of 6 months, enabling them to be ready for school. We are focusing on the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage - personal care, communication, and language and physical development.
3. Support families under the Think Family Expansion Programme.
We have been commissioned by West Sussex County Council (WSCC) to deliver services to families under the government’s ‘Think Family’ agenda from September 2014 to March 2016. For the first time we will be working with families who have children aged up to 11 years.
