Family Support Volunteer
Home visiting support is at the heart of the Home-Start service.
Without volunteers like you we couldn’t be there for families providing help and support in the way parents and their children trust and value.
Like our families, our volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. What you all share is a kind, generous heart and the ability to understand the pressures, challenges and demands of family life.
You’ll support parents and children when they need it most – in the early years. Children’s experiences in their early years have a huge impact on their development and on their future. And these years go by very fast: at Home-Start we know that childhood can’t wait.
Raising a family can be a rich and rewarding experience but it can also be lonely, difficult, overwhelming and exhausting. Knowing they’re not facing things alone can see parents through a tough time. Research shows that parents who have a source of support are better able to cope whatever their situation.
Making a child’s early years count because childhood can’t wait.
Support for parents when their children are young can really help them make the most of those precious early years of childhood.
With a little help, understanding and encouragement, a bad day gets better. When parents feel better, children feel better too.
By being there for a parent as they navigate the ups and downs of family life, you really can help families get the most out of and enjoy family life.
And we’ll be with you every step of the way!
Tell me more!
What will I be doing as a Home Visiting Family Support Volunteer?
Home-Start Family Support Volunteers provide supportive home visits for families.
You could be the vital support a family needs.
Your knowledge and experience as a parent, grandparent, carer or gained from working or volunteering with children and families can make a big difference to their lives.
The most important thing you can bring to your role supporting families is you – your caring approach and empathy, your life and parenting/caring experience.
This is what makes our support for families so effective.
The family will value your peer-to-peer befriending support. A warm smile, a friendly face, a listening ear, a helping hand…all these show a family that they are not alone, that you want to help them and Home-Start cares.
Your role will be to support an individual family. Sometimes the support you give may be more practical, sometimes more emotional, often it will be a bit of both. You’ll support and reassure parents to help them with whatever’s going on.
Families look forward to your regular supportive visits. Visits usually take place on the same day each week for a couple of hours, so we ask you to set aside 2-3 hours to volunteer.
Often, it’s the simple things that make the biggest difference:
- Sitting down for a cuppa and a chat, asking someone how they are or how their week has been, listening, laughing and learning together.
- Offering parents reassurance, guidance, encouragement and emotional support helps them feel more confident and better able to cope.
- Helping a parent fill out a form, make an important phone call or find the information they need to deal with a problem can mean they’re able to get the help they need.
- Letting parents know about local places, groups and activities can help children and their families enjoy new experiences and feel more connected to their communities.
- Helping a family get out for a walk or to the local park can really make a difference to their day.
- Helping a family make or attend an appointment helps them access essential services.
- Helping a family to get organised or with family routines helps ease day to day stress.
- Playing with the children or being an extra pair of helping hands
You will also spend time supporting children’s learning and development, helping them to gain independence and become school ready.
And you’ll engage children in play and activities. We all benefit from playing and having fun!
Everything you do will be about helping families through a trying time so that parents and children are ready to take their first steps…next steps…those significant steps…and then big steps into the future!
Whatever life experience you bring, there is a family who will value your time and support. And so will we. We will give you full training and continue to support you throughout your volunteering.
Why do families need a Home Visiting Family Support volunteer?
Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes.
All sorts of families come to
Home-Start for a little extra support. The families that we work with, like our volunteers, come from all walks of life, backgrounds and circumstances. Families come in all shapes and sizes.
You’ll be helping local families with at least one child under 5.
Parenting young children brings a unique set of challenges which can sometimes seem overwhelming.
Our families may also be experiencing difficult circumstances or dealing with problems and issues that make daily life that little bit harder.
Whatever the reason they come to Home-Start Dudley, families are offered non-judgemental, confidential help and support.
All kinds of families can find it hard to cope, for all sorts of reasons:
- Maybe they need a little extra support because they are a first-time or new parent.
- They may have twins, triplets or multiple children under 5.
- They could be struggling with the demands of young family life.
- Some mums and dads appreciate support to become more confident as a parent.
- A parent may need help because they are experiencing poor mental health or post-natal depression.
- Some families may need support because of a child/parent’s illness or disability.
- A family may be feeling lonely or isolated, struggling to get out and about or without many friends or family close by.
- For any family, financial worries, bereavement and relationship problems can cause additional stress.
We take the time to train and get to know you so that we can carefully match you with a family where we think you’ll be able to make a huge difference.
Do I need any qualifications?
Mostly what we look for is friendliness and a caring attitude, as well as an understanding of the pressures of parenting and family life. We value people who don’t judge others and who will treat a parent as an equal.
As a Family Support Volunteer, we provide you with training and support throughout your time with us to help you in your volunteer role.
You will need to attend our free comprehensive volunteer training course before meeting and supporting your first family.
And you’ll need to have an enhanced DBS check – we arrange this for you.
For other roles, if qualifications or specialist skills are needed, we’ll let you know.
What's it like supporting a family with young children?
We’re biased, but we think it’s a wonderful time to share in the lives of parents and their young children.
This is a crucial time for children’s development: they are growing and changing all the time. The early years are full of ‘firsts’, important milestones and memorable moments.
Those moments when little ones start to crawl, walk and talk are precious. It’s always wonderful to watch them develop into little people, full of personality and curiosity, quick to have fun and excited to explore the world around them.
You can help children gain essential life skills, develop independence and social confidence, have fun and learn about themselves and the world around them. All those things that children enjoy doing -playing, story time, talking, asking questions, having a conversation, singing, music, dancing, running around, games and learning activities – help children become healthy, happy humans better equipped to navigate their world, start nursery and get ready for starting school.
You can help first time parents or new parents find their feet as they adjust to life with a young baby, helping provide a little adult company, a little respite and a little reassurance.
The early years are a significant time for children’s development, so supporting parents to respond to their child’s changing needs as they grow is hugely valuable. Home-Start provides information, guidance and support around children’s ages and stages of learning and development.
Your support helps parents grow in confidence and manage the demands of raising a young family.
You can help families make the most of what’s available, take advantage of opportunities, enjoy local places and spaces and access services – the things that make life easier, interesting and enjoyable.
You can really make a lasting difference in the life of a child by being there for them and their parents during the pre-school years. Empowering a parent helps them but it also helps their children too because it helps parents give their children the best start in life.
Our aim is to help parents feel able to manage the demands of family life as their children grow. We help parents develop confidence, knowledge and skills that will support family life from pre-school to big school.
Where will my volunteering take place?
If you volunteer to support a family, we’ll ask you which areas you’re able to support a family in.
We do our best to match you with a family so that you only need to make a short journey to visit them or meet them locally.
Volunteers use their own or public transport to visit families.
We reimburse agreed travel expenses.
What about training?
All our volunteers supporting families are given free comprehensive training designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills you will need in your role.
We ask you to attend a preparatory training course before you can start supporting families.
This ensures you feel practically and emotionally equipped to support families with a range of needs.
Your training prepares you for situations and scenarios you may encounter within the families you support. This will help you have the confidence to know what to do and how to respond.
Preparatory training courses usually take place one day a week over 6 consecutive weeks. For information about our next available training course, send us an enquiry via the contact us page.
Or you can apply to volunteer straight away – you can download the application form on our website. Complete your application and we’ll get back to you with further details.
We also provide ongoing training designed to keep you up to date with essential/useful knowledge and refresh key skills. A small amount of this is mandatory. Other optional training may be available. Training is usually delivered as a short course either in person or online.
We will pay agreed expenses while you are training.
How will I be supported?
Your Coordinator will stay in contact with you throughout your time as a volunteer.
You will have someone to support, advise and guide you throughout your time supporting a family so that you feel able help a family with anything that comes up.
Your Coordinator will be there to give you and the family the support needed to deal with issues or challenges as they arise.
When you’re supporting a family, your Coordinator will meet with you on a regular basis to provide support and supervision.
You can also get in touch with your Coordinator outside of scheduled meetings – they are there to support you so that you are able to support the family you’re volunteering with.
This regular contact means you can discuss any concerns or queries as they arise and helps us to offer you a positive and rewarding volunteering experience.
The Coordinator also keeps in regular contact with the family you’re supporting. This helps us support you and the family and ensure everyone is happy with how things are going.
We organise social events for volunteers where you have a chance to meet up, have a chat and get to know other volunteers and members of the Home-Start Dudley team.
We also pay agreed expenses incurred whilst volunteering for Home-Start Dudley.
Can volunteering benefit me?
Volunteering with us can have a huge positive impact on your life:
- opportunity to meet new people
- benefits physical and mental health
- supports personal wellbeing
- good for improving confidence and self-esteem
- experience a sense of purpose
- can help reduce the effects of stress and anxiety
- feel more connected to your community
- chance to use or develop new/existing skills
- gain practical experience
- improves chances for work
And the good feelings that come from helping others, giving back and knowing that through your volunteering you’re part of making a positive difference to the place
you live in.
How to apply
You can apply at any time.
We’ll keep you informed about training opportunities as they come up.
So, if you’re interested in volunteering with us, please complete our online application form.
Download a form to send back to us by email or post.
After we receive your application, we’ll get in touch with you to arrange an informal interview.
This is where a member of staff will meet with you to talk about the role and what’s involved in volunteering. It’s a chance for you to get to know us a little and ask any questions you have. It also helps us get to know more about why you’d like to volunteer for us and what you’re hoping for from your volunteering.
If you would like assistance with your application or have any questions about volunteering or the application process, please get in touch.
You can send us a message via the Contact Us page, email
admin@home-startdudley.org.uk
or call us on 01384 482733
Apply to Volunteer
We’d love to hear from you! If you’re ready to apply, you can download an application form by clicking on one of the two buttons below. There are two versions. If you’ve got Microsoft Word on your system, please download that version. If you don’t have Word you can download and print the PDF version. If you prefer to print off an application form and hand write it, click here to download a version with an additional sheet in case you need more space when completing some sections. Alternatively, you can get in touch to ask us to send you an application form by post.
For guidance on completing your application form, please read this document: Guide to completing your volunteer application form.
You can send the forms back to us by email or post. See the Contact Us page for contact details.
If you’d like to talk to us before applying or have any questions after applying, please get in touch.
If you’re interested in volunteering and think you can help us, you’re always welcome to contact us. It’d be great to hear from you!
If you are interested other ways to help out or support us, you’ll find more information on our volunteering page.
Next: Support Us