Home-Start Blackburn And Darwen

Home-Start Blackburn and Darwen provides a unique service for families – recruiting and training volunteers to support parents (including expectant parents) with young children at home.

HOME-START AS A SERVICE

What we do:

Home-Start volunteers provide emotional and practical support and friendship to families with at least one child under the age of five. By doing so they represent a lifeline for many families when things are difficult. This support can be enough to prevent things getting worse and so can possibly help avoid family breakdown.

Parents and families come to Home-Start for a variety of reasons.

These include:

Loneliness, disability, ill health, multiple births, isolation, bereavement, post-natal illness, relationship difficulties or struggling with routines.

Our service is free and confidential.

How we help:

A Home-Start volunteer will visit you regularly (usually once a week for a couple of hours) and offer: -

Friendly support through difficult times for as long as you need help
Understanding, that when bringing up children, problems are not unusual
Reassurance that you are not alone
A listening ear and a shoulder to cry on
An extra pair of hands to help you cope with everyday situations or with Multiple Children under 5
Practical help with activities like playing or story time
Supporting parents to help them maintain positive changes
Who are the volunteers?

Home-Start volunteers are people from different backgrounds and vary in age, but all have parenting experience.

They will visit you in your own home and accept you as you are.

They are carefully selected for their friendliness, practical approach and understanding.

They have been approved and have all attended a course of preparation before being matched with families.

VOLUNTEER FOR HOME-START

Home-Start Blackburn & Darwen seeks volunteers to support local families.

Could YOU help us make a difference for families?

YOU could have exactly the skills needed to make a difference to a family living locally.

As a parent you’ll know just how tough it can sometimes be. Did you often long to have someone to confide in or just have a chat with?

Home-Start’s families come in all shapes and sizes and from all different backgrounds. Some may be feeling isolated, they may be new to the area without the support of family and friends, or they may be parenting alone. Others may be struggling with difficult relationships, have an illness or a disability, or have several pre-school children.

All have one thing in common, the need for someone to listen and be there just for them.

Home-Start volunteers also come in all shapes and sizes and from all different backgrounds. We need people with a whole host of different experiences to provide our special kind of support to families.

If you or anyone else you know, think you can spare a few hours a week to become a friend to someone in their own home, we would love to hear from you.

All out of pocket expenses are reimbursed and volunteers and their own families are welcome to join in any of our social activities and events. Home-Start values its volunteers highly and provides full support and training.

Volunteer preparation courses are run regularly and are free. The course usually takes place at our offices in Blackburn, one day per week for 8 weeks. Both day time and evening courses may be available.

Will I be the right sort of person to support a family?

Home-Start volunteers are all ages and from all walks of life. All we ask of you is that you have experience of bringing up children and can spare a few hours a week. In addition to the Preparation Course, Volunteers will all have to agree to undergo a full DBS check and provide 2 referees.

What would visiting a family involve?

This varies. You could spend time with a young parent, helping to build their confidence as they adapt to life with a small baby, or share an outing with a family who finds getting out of the house difficult. The visits might involve offering an extra pair of hands to a family with several children, or providing a listening ear to a mother who is suffering from postnatal illness. A volunteer may also be an advocate to a family who is looking at new ways to improve the family’s well-being.

Being a Home-Start volunteer means offering friendship to parents and spending time with families in a way that meets their needs.

What will I gain from being a Home-Start volunteer?

- You will be helping a family to cope with the pressures they are facing and make a real difference to the lives of parents and their children.
- You will receive support and training to prepare you for all aspects of your role within Home-Start.
- You will make new friends and have lots of fun.
- You will develop new skills and have some wonderful experience to add to your CV. We also offer additional training to all volunteers in subjects such as safeguarding children and domestic violence.

Out of pocket expenses will be paid whilst volunteering.

Can I volunteer without home visiting?

Yes you can……We always need volunteers who could support us by helping with fundraising activities or by joining the Board of Trustees and getting involved in the running of the scheme.

What next?

If you would like to find out more about becoming a volunteer with Home-Start Blackburn & Darwen, please contact us by telephone, email or post.

We can send you further information, with no obligation, chat about what’s involved, or arrange to visit you at home to discuss it further.