Volunteer for Home-Start
By volunteering just a few hours each week or every month, you can transform the lives of young children and their parents in your community.
Be a Home-Start volunteer
No matter how much spare time you have each week or even every month, we have a volunteering opportunity to suit you! If you have an interest in supporting a young family, a dad, step dad or grandparent then we need you and your spare time. Home-Start Hull are always looking for new volunteers to join us. If you have an understanding of how hard parenting can be then you have all the skills needed.
No special qualifications are necessary to become a Home-Start volunteer, volunteers normally have parenting experience and an interest in, and experience of, young children and family life. We welcome volunteers from all sections of the community.
Volunteers undergo a free accredited 25-hour preparation course prior to volunteering to give you all the extra skills and knowledge you will need to support a family. Volunteers are able to take up additional training opportunities, both internally as well as external courses such as Paediatric First Aid and Mental Health First Aid as well as all Level 1 safeguarding training. If you are looking for a way to build your CV, looking for work in a family support, social care or early years background or just want to find a way to utilise your own life experience, then volunteering for us can give you the opportunity to support your local community and get so much out of the experience yourself.
What it takes to be a Home-Start Volunteer
- You must have some form of parenting experience either through your own children, work or study.
- As a Home-Start volunteer you will support a family by visiting them at home for around two to three hours once a week, or by phone, or in a group setting every month.
- You should be able to commit at least one year of your time to Home-Start.
- You should have a non-judgmental attitude and understand about the pressures of bringing up a family.
- You will have to attend our free accredited Volunteer Preparation Course with other new volunteers before meeting your first family.
- When coming for training or visiting a family, travel expenses are paid.
- You must understand that your support for families is completely confidential.
- You will have to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check at enhanced level.
- You will meet regularly with, and be supported by, one of our Coordinators during the time you are visiting families.
Do you have what it takes to be a Home-Start volunteer? Are keen to help parents and children in your community? Please download an application form to start your journey transforming lives in your area.
I was excited to be offered a placement with Home-Start through Hull University as part of my degree in working with children, families and young people. I was instantly made to feel part of the amazing team! I was able to volunteer one day a week supporting families and sharing the knowledge I have gained so far in my degree, and as a parent. Home-Start provides families with emotional and physical support through difficult times in their lives which is invaluable and often life-changing. The volunteers are highly valued and supported to fulfil their roles, and in addition are offered various opportunities for further CPD and training. I have continued to volunteer for Home-Start despite my initial University placement ending because I enjoy helping families and being part of the team!
Leah’s story
“I am a relative newbie to Home-Start Hull having joined in September 2018. Prior to this I was a single mum to Toby.
We had found ourselves back in the UK after residing in Australia for 7 years. I spent 2 years adjusting to life back home, negotiating with child support agencies and dealing with divorce proceedings across international waters. Throughout it all I wanted Toby to feel safe, loved and secure. I had excellent support through this difficult time but it could have been different. And it was in this self reflection I considered volunteering.
We live in a world that is becoming increasingly isolated and time poor in spite of the presence and connections of social media. It takes a village to raise a child but sadly for many families this village has disappeared.
Home-Start volunteering has made a difference to me. It has made me reflect upon my own attitudes and beliefs and highlighted the ever growing need for s to re-engage with those around us”
Well done, guys! I always maintain that completing your course and volunteering changed me for the better. It’s one thing supporting the families and the rewarding feeling from that, actually realising your own life has been far from normal, confronting that and overcoming it emotionally is something else. The support I received from the team, and in particular Phil, I will never forget. Two years volunteering and now I have faced previous demons and have gained a career supporting people of all backgrounds back onto that forward path. No qualifications apart from GCSE’s 20 years ago, life experience and a volunteering background with you guys.
Volunteer testimonials
Home-Start is a fantastic organisation and being part of the Home-Start family is such a privilege and being able to make a difference to the families you are supporting.
I am proud to see how far they have come and how they are now all settled into school. Although I no longer visit as a volunteer, I am now a family friend.
The best thing about Home-Start is the variety of families you get to support and the feel good factor of being helpful to someone else.
It has helped me see things from a different perspective.
It has helped me get my dream job and given me the confidence to go for it. It’s changed my life.
Other ways to volunteer for Home-Start
Share you skills to help our work
If being a Peer Support Volunteer isn’t for you, you may be able to help us in others ways. Many have volunteered their time and skills for:
- supporting family outings
- Volunteer at the After School Club
- administration work
- music, craft and storytelling
- healthy eating sessions
- fundraising
- digital promotion
- and so much more
You may also be able to help in ways we haven’t thought about yet.
So if you want to get involved, get in touch and let us know what you have in mind.
Join us as a Trustee to help shape the future of our work with families
Our Trustees provide essential leadership, guidance and governance from their own professional or lived experiences. They also play an important role as ambassadors for our work and can offer particular skills to the organisation (like human resources, information management or finance, for example). We welcome interest from those who can be passionate about our work with parents, children, families and the community.
Importantly, the Board of Trustees should reflect the communities in which we work. We already benefit from a variety of skills, experiences and backgrounds and now need to add to that dynamic and creative team.
The minimum commitment as a Trustee is a few hours each month, to attend meetings or to engage in Board discussions via email and online forums. Further opportunities to get involved are possible too, so we can be flexible to suit individual motivations to volunteer.
If you are interested in finding out more about the opportunity to join us, please contact us to arrange an informal chat.
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.