Home-Start Family Support Volunteers usually give 2-3 hours of their time each week, visiting a local family in their home to provide practical and emotional support with parenting. We support any family who needs us.
There is no ‘typical’ Home-Start family. Our families reflect the diverse communities we serve.
We work with you, carefully matching you with a family you feel you can give the best support to and in the geographical areas that you request. We have families requiring support for a wide range of reasons and who would like you to visit during the daytime, evening and at the weekend.
All our volunteers must be parents themselves or have parenting experience. This enables them to empathise and with families and provide peer support, parent-to-parent. They are friendly and approachable and can be relied on and trusted by parents to listen without being judgmental, and to respect the needs of each individual family, providing a confidential service.

All our volunteers:

• Have an interview with a Co-ordinator
• Complete 6 online training modules
• Attend 2 days ‘wrap around’ training (9:30am - 2:45pm) or 4 evenings if you prefer (6pm - 9pm). This fully prepares volunteers for their role and the situations they may come across when supporting families.
• Receive lots of support from a designated Co-ordinator both during the training and after, when they are supporting families.
• Can access free additional training and social events throughout the year
• Receive all out of pocket expenses incurred while volunteering for Home-Start

Volunteering is great way to gain skills and experience, or simply to give back to your community if you have a little time to spare!
Please go to https://hsts.org.uk/volunteer-original/apply/ to fill in an online application form.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

No formal qualifications are required.

As a Home-Start volunteer, you will be matched with a local family. We take great care to ensure that you will get on well, to the best of our ability!
You will provide a weekly support visit to your family (school holidays excluded if required) - the type of support each family needs will be different, and may vary week to week. You might play games with the young children while Mum or Dad gets some chores done, or help the family get out to the park, or go shopping. Or it might be as simple as having a brew and a chat with a parent who wishes to talk.
Your wishes and aptitudes as a volunteer will be fully taken into account, so that you are able to provide the family with the best possible support.