Home Start

Home Start Kirklees offers both emotional and practical support to families with children under 5, or in their first term of education.

We offer a confidential and non judgemental Family Support Service delivered by experienced coordinators and supported by our home visiting volunteers.

Our services:

Support for young parents aged 14 to 24 years

Home Start Kirklees offers weekly group peer support sessions for young parents aged 14 to 24.  We believe that all young parents should have access to support during this life changing time so that they can live independently and positively parent their children to have the best start in life. We know it is important that young parents have the opportunity to meet other young parents and have access to support and advice in a relaxed and safe setting. Our aim is to provide a service that helps young parents build on their strengths and skills, increases their self confidence, develops positive relationships and improves life chances enabling young parents to meet their family’s needs.

We have been facilitating a young parent’s service since 2008. We provide young parent families a space to meet in a safe environment to have some fun and access support, information and guidance. We also explore local community activities such as play gyms, libraries, swimming and local parks.

School Readiness

At Home Start Kirklees when we talk about school readiness, we mean teaching children to have the independence, self help skills and confidence to enjoy a full day of learning.

Before they start school children need to be able to…

• play and share with others
• follow simple instructions
• dress independently, putting on their own coat and shoes
• use the toilet independently and understand basic hygiene
• eat and drink unaided
• cope with being away from their parents or carers
• communicate their wants and needs

Our staff and trained volunteers can support parents to prepare their children for school. We use a range of activities and simple resources to encourage learning in the home and help access community based provision to support play and social skills.  Access to this service is by referral only and parents can self refer. 

Reducing isolation and loneliness - peer group support sessions

Following the effects of the Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions we saw a rise in the number of parents struggling to cope. The additional stress brought on by the pandemic has heightened poor mental health, increased isolation and increased financial pressures. 

Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, referred parents and carers will now be able to access peer support group sessions in North and South. Parents and their children are offered a safe space where with professionals and volunteers, they can make friends and receive support to help them address their family challenges. We also support parents to be confident in accessing community based provision in their local areas.

Telephone Befriending

For parents and carers who would like access to support weekly but not by home visit or group support, we offer a telephone befriending service for as long as needed.  A volunteer will be matched to a parent or carer who will make contact by phone weekly to listen to the challenges present and offer information, guidance and well being support.

The Home Start Kirklees office is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm or by appointment.
For more information on our support programmes and for a referral form please visit www.homestart-kirklees.org.uk

Home Start Bradford District offers help to families with young children when they need a bit of extra support. Trained volunteers visit families on a weekly basis, providing emotional support and practical advice in the areas each family needs.

As an independent Bradford based charity, we’re committed to promoting the welfare of families with young children. We know how hard it can sometimes be to raise a family: there are good times and there are not so good times, and we can all need a helping hand from time to time.

Parents can refer themselves to our services through our website or be referred by a health or social care professional or a wide range of other charities and support agencies. Details of all of our services, and our online referral form, can be found on our website.

Support for families with children under the age of 5

If you are a parent or carer with a child under 5, 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 aged 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 shared with 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. A volunteer will only visit at your invitation.

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 support (up to a year)

Our volunteers are people from different backgrounds and vary in age, but all have some parenting experience and will visit you in your home. 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.

Support for Dads

Our Dad Matters programme supports dads to have the best possible relationship with their families.

We aim to:

• help dads have successful relationships with their families
• support dads with anxiety, stress and mental health issues
• help dads to engage with the range of support available to them
• provide parenting resources for dads
• facilitate peer support for dads

We want to make sure dads know how important they are, how to access support when they need it and why it’s essential for baby’s development.

The service supports male and secondary carers from pre birth to two years.

Home Start Leeds offers both emotional and practical support to families from pre-birth and in some cases up to 11 years of age in the Leeds City Council area. We offer a unique, confidential and non judgemental Family Support Service delivered by an experienced coordinator and supported by our home visiting volunteers.

Our Services

Dad Matters Leeds

Dad Matters supports Dads to have the best possible relationship with their families. We aim to:

• Help Dads have positive relationships with their families
• Support Dads with wellbeing and mental health including anxiety, stress and mental health awareness
• Encourage Dad’s participation in services traditionally targeted for Mums
• Provide peer support for Dads

We provide support through a universal offer that supports Dads to access antenatal and postnatal classes and groups for Dads; and signpost to services and information to help make sense of being a Dad. The service supports Dads and Non birthing partners form pre birth to 2 years.

Family Ties

Our new service supports:

• Kinship Carers – non parents including grandparents, siblings and friends looking after non birth children
• Reunification Parents – parents being reunified with their children after a period of kinship or state care.

The service support carers and parents, kinship and reunification children up to 11 years of age. If children are older we will take on a case by case basis.

Leeds Doulas

This service supports Mums 6 weeks either side of baby’s birth. The service is referral only through Leeds Maternity Services.

Parent to Parent

The service accepts referrals for families in Leeds who need support to:

• Improve child’s behaviour, build resilience and coping strategies, bonding with parent, enjoy play, social interaction with peers and other adults.
• Reduce isolation through support to enable access to social activities and health appointments.
• Improve child’s health and wellbeing to include healthy eating and exercise, and self awareness.

The service support families who have at least one child aged 2 to 7 years.

Perinatal Mums

The service promotes and supports the importance of early attachment by educating and empowering families who feel low in mood, poor mental ill health and are stressed following a birth of their baby. The service support families pre birth to 2 years.

As part of our parent to parent and perinatal mums services we also support:

• Young Care Leavers: we support effective parenting through positive role modelling and encourage them to access other services to help them along their parenting journey. 
• New Start: supports parents during pregnancy when there are concerns to the care, safety and wellbeing of the infant, particularly those subject to a Child and Family Pre birth Assessment.

Home-Start Leeds  - working in Calderdale

Dad Matters Calderdale

Dad Matters supports Dads to have the best possible relationship with their families. We aim to:

• Help Dads have positive relationships with their families.
• Support Dads with wellbeing and mental health including anxiety, stress and mental health awareness.
• Encourage Dad’s participation in services traditionally targeted for Mums.
• Provide peer support for Dads.

We provide support through a universal offer that supports Dads to access antenatal and postnatal classes and groups. Dad Matters Calderdale works across the Calderdale Council geographic area in the community, Family Hubs, and Maternity Services. The service supports Dads and non birthing partners form pre birth to 2 years.

Home Start can be contacted Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. For more information about our services, please visit the website or email office@home-startleeds.co.uk

Home Start Wakefield offers:

• A volunteer visiting once a week for 3 months to offer emotional support, help to get out and about, access other services and help with routines and behaviour (pregnancy to age 12).
• A family engagement worker visiting once a week for 8 to 10 weeks to offer family support, including strategies to help support children’s behaviour, signposting to services, and help putting routines into place.
• A perinatal mental health support worker visiting once a week for 8 weeks to offer emotional support and help to get out and about.
• A Dads support coordinator offering bespoke support based upon family need (age 2 to 12 years).
• A Dad Matters coordinator supporting Dads with perinatal mental health needs, to offer emotional support, attachment and bonding support (relationship building), access other services, online new dad workshops, walk and talks (conception to age 2).
• Family Group support: five stay and play groups across the district (Castleford, Pontefract, Alverthorpe, and Eastmoor) including a twins and multiples group (Sharlston).

For further information on the support available, please visit the website.