How to refer a family
If you are a health visitor or professional in the social care and child care sector, GP or working in the fields of mental health, education, early years and probation you can refer a family to Home-Start.
If you are looking for support for your own family, please contact your nearest Home-Start.
If you are a professional please see below:
- Discuss Home-Start with the family - they MUST agree to receive Home-Start support.
- Establish that the family has at least one child under five - this is key to Home-Start support.
- Contact your local Home-Start scheme and speak to the organiser.
- Your local Home-Start scheme will ask you to complete a referral form, which indicates the family's needs.
Your local Home-Start scheme will:
- Set up an initial visit with the family to discuss their needs and tell them all about Home-Start.
- Carefully match the skills and experiences of a volunteer to the needs of the family.
- Introduce the volunteer to the family (this may take time and if a suitable match can not be made then you will be informed).
- Let you know when Home-Start support starts and ends.
- Keep you informed, within confidentiality guidelines, about progress.
To find your nearest Home-Start
What Home-Start achieves
Working together to support families
“Home-Start is invaluable both to myself, as a professional, and to the women I work with. Having the help of a volunteer or participating in the social support Home-Start offers aids recovery from post natal illness. I value Home-Start and feel honoured to be asked to talk to the new volunteers about post natal illness, my role, treatment and resources. I have referred many people to Home-Start and all of them have had positive experiences and invaluable support.”
A nurse working with women experiencing pre natal and post natal illness
