How to get help from Home-Start
All parents struggle at one time or another. For some, the challenges can be greater. You are not alone.
Support from Home-Start
If you are a Mum, Dad or carer with a child under five, and are finding things tough at the moment, you can ask for free help.Our volunteers help parents going through difficult times such as:
- loneliness and isolation
- relationship difficulties
- coping with twins, triplets or several pre-school children
- ill Health, disability or special needs
- lone parenting
- first-time parenthood or new babies
- postnatal illness
- children’s behavioural problems.
Our support is confidential and personal information about you and your family will not be disclosed to anyone outside of Home-Start without your consent, except where there is a concern about the safety or welfare of a child. You choose whether to accept Home-Start support and can change your mind at any time. For home-visiting support, a volunteer will only visit at your invitation.
At an initial assessment visit, one of our Coordinators will meet with you in your own home to find out a bit more about you and your family, and what you’d like our help with. We’ll then determine whether those goals would be best met by one of our groups, through regular telephone calls with a volunteer or through a volunteer visiting you regularly at home.
We also offer specific support to Dads with attachment and bonding, mental health and access to other services through our Dad Matters project.
For home-visiting support, we will match you with a volunteer who will visit you regularly (normally once a week), and offer:
- 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
- practical help with activities like playing or story time.
- friendly support through difficult times for as long as you need it (up to a year).
Other volunteers provide phone support, if you’d prefer not to have somebody visiting your home or if the initial assessment deems this the best option. You’ll receive the same reassurance and listening ear, advice and help that all of our support provides.
We also run group support sessions where you can meet with other parents to share mutual support, advice and help, facilitated by one of our Coordinators or volunteers. You’re welcome to bring children to these sessions where they will be able to interact with other children and engage in creative play together.
Our volunteers are people from different backgrounds and vary in age, but all have some parenting experience. They are carefully selected for their friendliness, practical approach and understanding and will have all attended a rigorous course of preparation and background checks before visiting.
How to get help
Our aim is to operate an open referral policy, ensuring that support is available to any family who needs it. We encourage you to get in touch to see if your potential referral is eligible for Home-Start support.
Referral criteria
To receive Home-Start support a family must:
- live in the Bradford District
- have at least one child aged under 5 (who should be resident or largely resident with the family) or be expecting a baby
Making a referral
Referring yourself
To refer yourself for Home-Start or Dad Matters support, please complete our simple online referral form and one of our Coordinators will be in touch to take further details.
Referring somebody else
To refer somebody for Home-Start or Dad Matters support, please complete our online referral form using the ‘Referral agency’ option.
The first time you make a referral you will need to register for a new account by using the ‘Sign up’ option on the login form. This might give you instant access, but if your email address is not already registered on our system you will need to contact the office on 01274 666711 or referrals@homestartbradford.co.uk so that we can activate your account.
You should ensure that the family you are referring understand our privacy notice and consent form, and you will be required to confirm that they have given consent.
If you have any questions about the referral process, or want to check whether we can accept a referral before submitting it, please contact us on referrals@homestartbradford.co.uk or call the office.
Privacy
All personal information about parents and families is treated as confidential, to be discussed only as necessary with the Coordinator in support of the volunteer and to assist the family. Any disclosure of confidential information to any other person may only be undertaken with the express 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 when information shall be shared with the appropriate authority.
See our privacy page for more information.
Testimonials
I was offered the support from a Home-Start Better Start volunteer, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. My volunteer was so well suited to me. She had such a good understanding and a way of listening that helped me feel heard. She visited weekly and I always felt that if something happened I could share this with her without being judged. I did have times where I felt low and it was so helpful to me that her responses were not the negative ones I had become used to. She was so positive and I felt such relief in being able to share my fears. I very quickly found myself looking forward to her visits. I can only say I wish I’d had her for longer.
My situation has improved greatly. I’m no longer walking around crying. It has been to have someone to talk to. I feel more confident. Because of the support from Home-Start I can now stop feeling alone and I can do what I thought I couldn’t do.
My self-esteem has improved and I have reduced my medication. I am looking and feeling brighter.
The girls miss Tanya, she was really helpful. She supported me with making my own choices, she never told me what I should do.
Home-Start was very helpful to me and my family. Our lives were full of anxiety and conflict but now family life is much calmer. After advice from our Home-Start volunteer, I now deal with my work stresses better which means I’m more attentive to my son. I actually stop and listen to find out what it is he wants. The volunteer helped us identify that the home conditions were a battleground for us. Now my wife and I have a calmer more thoughtful relationship and we share equally the household chores so it is fairer.
I cannot thank you enough for your support, you have been so kind, patient and understanding. You have been my listening ear and shoulder to cry on and you helped us.
Become a Home-Start Volunteer Today
Home-Start’s team of trained volunteers make sure a child’s early years count. By volunteering just a few hours each week you can transform the lives of young children and their parents in your community.
