Home-Start Arun supporting families in West Sussex
Social Inclusion
We would like to recruit a further 20 volunteers and provide training to develop skills to offer much needed family support.
About this cause
We are a registered charity working within the Arun District of West Sussex, offering a distinctive service recruiting and training volunteers to support isolated and vulnerable families who have at least one child under the age of five. Through a combination of home-visiting and group work we respond to each family's individual needs to help them manage the stresses and strains of brining up a young family when things get tough. We receive referrals from health and social care professionals and have close links with Children and Family Centres. Arun has the largest district population in West Sussex, the 2104 Index of Multiple Deprivation showing two wards in the top 10%. To aim to improve Mothers and Fathers capacity to contribute positively to their child's early development.
How this cause brings people in the community together
Preventing situations in families reaching crisis point by intervening at the earliest opportunity enables supported families to help themselves, so they are empowered to solve their own problems and have the strength to address the challenges they face in the future. We help families achieve school readiness, support fathers through a programme of Fathers' Reading Every Day (FRED), and connect migrant families to mainstream child-focused services such as Children and Family Centres. Our Volunteers, usually parents themselves home visit once a week for 2 - 3 hours to provide practical and emotional support. Additionally two weekly family groups utilise peer support and encourage community involvement. Visits are recorded for evaluation and to provide evidence of outcomes achieved.