“There are just over three months to go until the general election in the UK and now is the time to make sure that we are all putting the support of children and families at the centre of what we do. This is just the first step towards reducing pressures on parents and their children, but it will help them to overcome difficulty and give them the tools to help their community, society and the economy to thrive.

“Our recent YouGov survey has shown that over half of people underestimate how many families are struggling to cope with more than one problem. But through 32,000 families, and 16,000 volunteers and staff from across the whole of the UK, Home-Start is giving a voice to all families.

“In the last six months we have published manifestos for the UK, as well as for Scotland and Northern Ireland and we will be publishing our manifesto for Wales in the coming weeks. Our manifestos call on all political parties to put children's lives at the heart of policy.

“In each manifesto we set out practical solutions to address three priority areas. Home-Start believes that:

• All our children should have safe places to live and play,
• All our children with a parent suffering from a mental illness should be supported,
• All our children should be well nourished and protected from hunger and poor nutrition.

“Finally, we ask that all political parties recognise the key role played by the voluntary sector, and specifically volunteers, in providing those solutions and giving life-changing support to families.”