Home visiting

A Home-Start volunteer will visit you in your own home, usually once a week, for a couple of hours. You decide what you will do together. They can help you with practical tasks, offer advice and share their experience of being a parent or support you through emotional issues.

Home-visiting volunteers:

• help you establish routines for you and your children while you’re going through such a huge change to your life
• play and read with your children
• listen to your worries, concerns and hopes for your family
• be there because they want to be – not because someone has ‘sent’ them 
• offer a shoulder to cry on
• share their own experiences of parenting and family life
• give you a break
• offer advice if you ask for it
• provide support, friendship and encouragement
• help you get to appointments
• help you access benefits, grants and financial support
• help you use local services or specialist support
• help you get involved with your local community

Our volunteers are parents themselves. They are all trained and criminal records are checked before being carefully matched with any family.