News Release
Home-Start appoints a new England Director
30th May 2007
Home-Start has recently appointed a new England Director. Lynne Richards who previously worked as the charity's south west regional manager, took up her new role at the beginning of May.
As England Director, Lynne is responsible for the effective delivery and development of the Home-Start UK service to Home-Start schemes in England. She will provide leadership and direction to a team of more than 50 regional staff who will continue to guide and support the 243 local Home-Start schemes across England. Last year these projects supported nearly 65,000 parents and children with the help of more than 12,000 volunteers, 2,000 trustees and 1,400 staff.
Since 1973 Home-Start has been providing tailor-made, flexible and responsive family support to families in need and under pressure, who have at least one child under five years old. High quality services include intensive one-to-one home visiting support by volunteers who have parenting experience as well as outreach and family group work.
Lynne Richards will also maintain high-level contact with key partner agencies, other voluntary agencies, Government and statutory authorities. She will be working closely with other Directors in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure Home-Start's family support work is delivered consistently across the UK.
Speaking of her new role Lynne said: "I believe that by providing support, friendship and practical help to families enables them to give their children a good start in life and helps them achieve their full potential. I am committed to the view that preventative intervention at an early stage in a family's life can achieve successful relationships between members of the family and therefore a positive long term future for children."
Lynne has more than twenty five years experience in health and social care and has been working in the voluntary sector for nearly twenty. She has worked in local government, Exeter University, in various community projects and as a freelance management consultant to voluntary and community sector organisations. Lynne worked for Home-Start in the South West of England for six years, initially as a regional consultant-supporting and guiding the work of local schemes in the region and for the last three years as regional manager. She has a strong proven record in policy and practice development, training and problem solving, particularly with regard to funding, employment issues and charity governance. Lynne has been a member and chair of various management committees over the years. She lives in Devon with her husband, two teenage sons and her border collie.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Home-Start recruits and trains volunteers to support parents with children under five years old. We are the leading family support charity in the UK. Our service is open to everyone and our home visiting work is unique in the UK. The charity was set up in 1973 and now supports more than 33,000 families and nearly 70,000 children each year. More than 15,000 volunteers visit families in their own homes - parents supporting other parents in a variety of situations including isolation, bereavement, multiple births, illness or disability. Home-Start also runs Teenage Parent Groups to help and support young parents. Find out more about our history
To volunteer, donate or find out more about Home-Start phone free on 08000 68 63 68 or log on to http://www.home-start.org.uk
Contact details:
Jo McLeish, Press and PR Officer, Home-Start UK
Tel: 0870 220 6713
Email: jmcleish@home-start.org.uk
