Home-Start North Dorset (HSND), the local independent arm of nationwide registered charity Home-Start UK, has launched an urgent appeal for more parent volunteers to meet the growing demand for home-visit support for families with young children struggling to cope.
No specialist skills or professional background are required, just the experience and natural empathy inherent in being a parent or long-term care-giver to very young children. A new HSND Preparation course will commence on 24th April comprising 40 hours of comprehensive preparation for one day a week over a nine-week period. The course is free to participants.
After completing the preparation, parent volunteers are required to support a family for two – three hours a week for between three to six months. During this time, they provide hands-on support and encourage parental confidence going forward. Volunteers receive regular supervision and on-going training while providing family assistance.
Home-Start North Dorset currently has to turn away requests due to lack of funding and volunteers. Each year 12 new volunteers are needed to commit to the programme for a minimum of one year in order to validate the cost of training and expenses raised by donations and fund-raising….most remain for three – four years and many for longer. “I have learnt something from every family I have supported and have taken great pleasure in watching how giving such a simple thing – just a few hours a week – can make such a difference,” comments a volunteer.
Interested candidates should contact Jamie Keast or Heather Stride on Tel: 01258 473038 or email office@home-start-northdorset.co.uk
Further Information:
Home-Start North Dorset (HSND) is the local, independent operation of registered nation-wide charity, Home-Start UK that relies solely on donations to prepare and support parent volunteers. HSND supports families living in the North Dorset District Council area who are struggling to cope and where there is usually at least one child under five. Without a stable, loving and nurturing environment, a very young child will not develop the vital foundation skills he or she needs. Our parent volunteers provide in-home assistance, encouraging and promoting parental confidence and building better lives for them and their children.
In 2018, over 70 families and 170 children benefited from HSND support but numerous families were declined due to lack of trained parent volunteers; an annual recruitment of 12 volunteers is required to meet current requests for assistance. Over the last seven years, HSND has helped over 225 local families.
Established in 1973 in the UK, today there are 215 local independent Home-Starts in the UK, and 22 countries on five continents have Home-Starts providing support for families. Home-Start is there when parents need us the most… because childhood can’t wait.
Please visit the website: for more https://home-start-northdorset.co.uk/opportunity