Are there any reasons why Home-Start will not be able to support me? Expand We’d love to be able to help absolutely everyone who asks, but we are a charity and sometimes we just can't. We won’t be able to help: if all our volunteers are already supporting other families, if there is not enough funding to train more volunteers, if you have a very complex set of problems and we don’t have a really experienced volunteer available, if you need more support than our befriending volunteers can give – in which case we’ll always recommend other kinds of support for you, and put you in touch if we can, if there is some reason our volunteer would not be safe supporting you.
Can I volunteer? Expand There are lots of ways that you can get involved with your local Home-Start. To find out about how to volunteer for your local Home-Start, get in touch with them directly. If you want to find out more about the different types of volunteer opportunity we have, or the commitment we ask of our volunteers, click here.
Do you support families like mine? Expand We can support: Lone parents, married couples, unmarried couples, grandparents caring for their grandchildren, older parents, teen-parents, step-parents, adoptive parents, families where a parent is in the armed forces, families where a parent is in prison, families where social care or other agencies are involved, wealthy families, families where the money is tight ... ....in any location, or for any gender, ethnicity or asylum/immigration status, ...and many others in different situations.
How do I get Home-Start’s help? Expand If you think that you could benefit from the support of a Home-Start volunteer then you can get in touch with your local Home-Start yourself - you can find your nearest Home-Start here and call, email or see their website. Other people may be referred to their local Home-Start by a health visitor, doctor or other professional. More information for professionals who want to refer a family.
I’m sure other families need help more than me? Expand Perhaps... But if you are struggling when your children are young, we will try to help. Don’t think that your problems are not severe enough to ask. If we can’t help you, we’ll try to recommend others who might be able to.
If someone has referred me to Home-Start do I have to take it? Expand No, Home-Start’s support is entirely voluntary and confidential - whether you decide to use Home-Start or not, this will not affect any other support you may be receiving.
Is there a Home-Start near me? Expand We work from Guernsey to Orkney and from Ipswich to Enniskillen, and even in British Forces Bases in Cyprus. Find out if we are supporting families near you. There are over 200 local Home-Starts in communities across the four nations of the United Kingdom. To find your closest Home-Start use our online map for their contact details and web address.
Is there any reason why Home-Start would stop supporting me? Expand Our support is given freely by the volunteers and received freely by families. Each has a choice about whether they continue with the relationship.Generally, we would stop supporting you: when your youngest child turns five or goes to school full time, if your circumstances have got better and you feel you can cope, and you want to free up your volunteer to help another family, if you decide you no longer want our support, if your volunteer’s circumstances change and they have to stop volunteering - if this happens, we’ll ask if you would like to be supported by another one of our available volunteers. if, for any reason, our volunteer is no longer safe coming to your home to support you.
My child is over five years old, can I still get help? Expand Home-Start’s work is mostly based on supporting families with at least one child under five. In the majority of cases, you will need to have at least one child under five to qualify for our help. However, we adapt services to meet the needs of local communities. So your local Home-Start might have special funding and be able to provide support to families whose youngest child is over the age of five. To find out how it works at your local Home-Start, visit their website or get in touch with them, using our contact map.
What if I’ve got a worry or complaint about my support? Expand First, contact someone in the office of your local Home-Start - we hope they’ll be able to put your mind to rest. If you want to take your worry on to a formal complaint, you should ask your local Home-Start about their complaints policy. This is usually handled independently by the trustees of your local Home-Start and follows national guidelines for investigating and making a decision.Because of the legal and charitable structure of Home-Start (each Home-Start is an independent charity), Home-Start UK is not able to make decisions on complaints about local Home-Starts.
What if there is no Home-Start near me? Expand There are around 175 Home-Starts working in communities across the UK. Sometimes we cover whole counties, but there are some places where there is no local Home-Start support. If you are not close enough to our support, we'd still like to try to help a little by giving you a list of resources and links to other organisations who might be able to support you. If you are interested in setting up a Home-Start in your community, please fill in this form.
What kind of thing can Home-Start support me with? Expand A Home-Start volunteer can help you through a really wide range of problems and family needs. Since 1973, we have been tailor-making our support to help families with twins or triplets, where there is bereavement or illness, disability or addiction, or where there is mental ill health, or money or housing problems. In most cases, we help where families feel isolated and have no-one nearby to help. Hear from some of the families we have supported.
Will I have to pay for support? Expand Home-Start’s support is completely free! You will not have to pay for your support from Home-Start - we are a charity and raise funds to be able to support parents and children.