Home-Start Wandsworth supports families with young children under the age of five. They help with day-to-day challenges, improving confidence and empowering parents to build better lives for their family.
Our volunteers help parents who may be struggling with post-natal depression, isolation, physical health problems, bereavement, disability, financial hardship and many other issues.
They do this by offering impartial, non-judgmental listening, practical support and sharing parenting support information. Our volunteers go through a rigorous eight week training programme as well as regular training sessions to keep them up-to-date with issues such as health and wellbeing information, drug and alcohol awareness, financial management and support, mental and post natal health awareness and the latest in parenting techniques and support. Volunteers encourage families to widen their networks and to effectively use the support and services available within the community.
Home-Start Wandsworth provide families with group support. Over the past year we have developed our successful coffee hubs to provide a chance for families to get out of the house and meet new people in a safe environment. The hubs provide a place for their children to play supervised by our volunteers and coordinators so that parents can chat, relax and make new friends. Parents have said that this chance to take a break, along with the opportunity to share their experiences with one another,
has been invaluable.
Due to popular demand, we plan to expand on these hubs by having them once a week and in several areas across Wandsworth and bringing along visitors to discuss issues such as breastfeeding advice, weaning, applying for support and financial advice, going to college, finding the right nursery, cookery and healthy eating as well as mental health support. These hubs are a great way of reducing isolation for our families and increasing their friendship networks.
Holiday periods are often the hardest for many of our families so we organise interesting and fun outings for the parents and children, often to places that they would not be able to go to otherwise. In the past, we have arranged trips to indoor soft play areas, city farms, the seaside, parks, theatre trips and other fun attractions.