Family support charity Home-Start UK have announced that, after five years in the role, Peter Grigg will be stepping down as chief executive to take up a role with Citizens Advice later this year.

Peter began work at Home-Start UK in January 2020 and will now join the Citizens Advice senior leadership team as Director of Partnerships and Advocacy.

Peter has overseen the growth of Home-Start UK impact, profile and income over the past five years with the number of families that Home-Starts support increasing from 26,000 to 58,850 and Home-Start UK income growing from £2.5m to £3.8m.

This growth has been at a time of significant uncertainty for voluntary organisations.  Three months after Peter joined the organisation, the world was transformed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a crisis that had a devastating impact on families and children, and it proved incredibly challenging for organisations like Home-Start whose purpose is to support them.

Staff and volunteers in Home Starts across the UK rose to the challenge and provided continued support for families throughout the pandemic. Home-Start UK also made the case of more support for families, co-authoring the landmark Babies in Lockdown report highlighting the impact of lockdown on babies and their parents.

Under Peter’s leadership, the Home-Start federation developed its first ever federation-wide strategic framework inspiring expansion of work to families and a deeper focus on equity and inclusion in providing practical and emotional support to families across the UK. Home Start UK has continued to raise profile, most recently with the first ever television advertising campaign. 

Peter will leave Home-Start UK at the beginning of April and the board will now begin the process of recruiting a new chief executive to take the charity forward. During the interim period, Home-Start’s deputy CEO, Vivien Waterfield CBE, will act as chief executive.

Home-Start UK chair of trustees, Lin Hinnigan said:

“I am sure the entire Home-Start network will join me in thanking Peter for his incredible hard work and dedication over the past five years. With the backing of our incredibly committed and supportive funders and donors, under Peter’s leadership Home-Start UK has been transformed. Peter has also been instrumental in helping strengthen our national movement, helping Home-Starts in local communities come together to achieve greater impact to reach more families than ever and transform the lives of more children in the years to come.

“It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Peter but he should be proud of what he has helped Home-Start to achieve. We wish Peter the very best for his new and exciting role with Citizens Advice.” 

Peter Grigg said:

“It has been a great privilege over the past five years to have been part of this movement, working with incredible and dedicated staff and volunteers across the country. The stories of Home-Start’s impact will stay with me. A mum inspired to take her baby to its first ever playgroup, an isolated refugee in lockdown with no other adult contact, a dad who had considered taking his own life; Home-Start’s work truly changes lives. 

“I’m honoured to have offered leadership during a global pandemic and in our 50th anniversary year. I’m particularly proud of work we’ve done to strengthen our federation, enhance focus on equity, equality, diversity and inclusion, raise public profile and build exciting partnerships, and renew foundations around quality assurance, safeguarding and governance.

“I have come to learn that no one ever truly leaves Home-Start and so I look forward to continuing to be a passionate advocate and support of this wonderful organisation.”