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MAKE A REFERRAL

Home-Start aims to give support to families who may be struggling to cope with a variety of challenges, including post-natal illness, disability, isolation, the demands of parenting young children, bereavement and multiple births: helping prevent these difficulities from escalating into crises, and crises from developing in to family breakdown.

Home-Start support is not a substitute for professional services but complementary to them, and the best results are achieved through an active partnership between professionals and Home-Start. However, we know that our success in connecting with families that other services have difficulty reaching or engaging with is valued by professionals.

WHAT WE DO.....AND HOW WE DO IT

Home-Start volunteers are normally parents themselves and after completing a course of preparation a volunteer will visit a family in their own home, for two or three hours a week, for as long as the family needs them or until the youngest child turns five. A volunteer helps build a parent's confidence so they can make positive choices about how to run their own lives. Their support is non-judgemental, free and confidential.

Home-Start is committed to promoting the safety and welfare of children. All personal information held by Home-Start is confidential. Confidential information can only shared with appropriate agencies with the permission of the parents for the purpose of assisting the family, except where it is considered necessary for the welfare and protection of a child. Our scheme undertakes self-assessment of their practice according to national quality assurance standards and criteria. We have agreed to Home-Start's national standards and methods of practice and follow Home-Start's policies, procedure and practice.

HOW TO REFER

(Please contact the scheme to speak to a coordinator on the availability of volunteers before making a referral).

Referral Leaflet