Home-Start Chichester and District: Charity looking for volunteers

Charities such as Home-Start  and its volunteers provide a vital lifeline for families.
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Lois Rowlands, senior coordinator at the charity, said: “Families are either supported by a volunteer visiting them at home once a week for a couple of hours.

“The volunteer can provide practical and emotional support, a listening ear, support a family getting out and about, maybe to the park or the shops, support for parents who have twins and triplets. The things volunteer support with often as unique as the families themselves!”

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It also runs three family groups for those families who would like to get out and meet other families.

Home-Start provides support for families either at home or via group sessions.Home-Start provides support for families either at home or via group sessions.
Home-Start provides support for families either at home or via group sessions.

At the family groups the charity provides quality play experiences for babies and preschool children, as well as the opportunity for families to get to know each other and make friends. Attendance at the group is by referral only.

Home-Start Chichester & District is currently looking for volunteers for the Midhurst and Petworth area.

All volunteers are required to attend a six week training course that takes place weekly during school hours. The course covers issues with parenting, child development, play, safeguarding, personal safety and introduces volunteers to the ethos of Home-Start.

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Lois said: “It’s an enjoyable, non-academic course – you don’t pass or fail! After completing the preparation course, we ask volunteers to give a maximum of three hours a week volunteering with us.

Families are matched up with a volunteer.Families are matched up with a volunteer.
Families are matched up with a volunteer.

“So if they are matched with a family, this three hours will include their travelling time to and from the family’s house. We ask that volunteers are able to give us a year after completing the preparation course.”

Home-Start usually supports 50-60 families at any given time, but is always receiving new referrals into the service.

Volunteers are matched with families after the coordinators have got to know the families.

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Lois said: “This is to try to ensure that families and volunteers get on well and feel happy with each other.

“We understand that can feel a bit strange to have someone you don’t know visit your house, especially when you are finding things challenging, so it’s very important that people feel that they can get along with each other.”

For more information, visit home-startchichester.org.uk