How to get help from Home-Start Cambridgeshire
All parents struggle at one time or another. For some, the challenges can be greater. You are not alone.
Support from Home-Start Cambridgeshire
Being a parent has never been easy. It can be lonely, frustrating, heart breaking and overwhelming. Life-changing events can happen to anyone. That is why Home-Start Cambridgeshire is ready to support families through their toughest times.
We offer a wide range of services for parents, carers and children in the pre-school years.
Volunteer Support
We help families who have young children by matching themwith a home visiting volunteer. They will provide support directly in the family home to offer practical or emotional support with the demands of parenting a young family. Alternatively we can provide support remotely, via weekly video or voice calls. Every Home-Start volunteer is trained to work alongside the family to help them to overcome the challenges they are facing. We work with them to build on their strengths and give them the support that they tell us that they need.
Family Support Groups
Our groups aim to help parents or carers who may be feeling isolated or overwhelmed or may be struggling to access opportunities for support. The groups come together regularly, during term time, to build stronger relationships, gain advice and access services. Our groups are a great place to pick up advice, tips and help from Home-Start Staff, Volunteers and other parents or carers.
Emotional Foundations Project
The Emotional Foundations Project is for parents who would like to think about their relationship with their baby or young child. Our therapeutic support can help with a range of issues including anxiety, attachment difficulties, postnatal depression, feeding / weaning difficulties, sleep difficulties, the impact of traumatic birth, experiences in NICU/SCBU, separation difficulties, grief and sibling relationships.
Early Weeks Project
The Early Weeks Project aims to support new parents, in East Cambridgeshire, to gain confidence in their ability to cope with the demands of parenting and to better connect them with the support services and systems available in their community.
Big Hopes Big Future Project
The Big Hopes Big Future programme works directly with parents and children to help them to build the skills they need to be ready for the first day of school. This support will include broader thinking about the areas of home readiness, parental readiness and child readiness.
Please note that we have had to build some prioritisation into our acceptance of referrals.
- We will support only those families who receive no support through Early Help or Social Care Services (Safeguarding), or families who have had such support in the last 6 months.
- We are also unable to take re-referrals for families who have been supported by HSC within the previous 6 months.
How to get help
Home-Start support is completely free, you do not have to pay for any of our support and it is entirely voluntary.
It might be suggested to you by a health visitor, a doctor or another professional but it is entirely up to you if you want to work with Home-Start.
We are very experienced in matching families with volunteers who we think will understand your situation and be able to work with you. If either you or the volunteer is not happy you can end the relationship and try another match.
All of our support is confidential. You don’t have to tell anyone that you are being supported by Home-Start, and we will never tell anyone else unless you say that we can.
If you are a professional referrer please click on the Professional Referral Form button. If you wish to discuss making a self referral please contact us or click on the Self Referral Form button.
Home-Start Cambridgeshire Groups
Chesterton Group
We hold a group, which is by invitation only, where you and your children can come along and meet other families.
All parents and children can benefit from attending parent and child groups.
Children have the opportunity to develop many of their skills e.g. language development, social skills, concentration all of which improve their life chances and assist with transitions to more formal pre-school / school settings in the future.
Parents benefit from peer support, meeting with other parents who understand the joys and challenges of parenting, friendship and adult company.
The group aims to help mums who are isolated and / or vulnerable to come together once a week during term time to build strong relationships, get advice and access services. The group:
- Offer activities and creative events for children
- Helps children socialise with peers
- Allows children to learn how to share (toys, snacks etc)
- Facilitates children and mothers singing and / or exercising together
The group is based in Chesterton but is for families across all 14 wards of Cambridge City. Families are encouraged to develop independence and move on from the group so support is up to a maximum of three terms if required.
East Cambridgeshire Group
We are also trialling a wellbeing support group in Littleport, for parents in East Cambridgeshire with infants up to 12 months. The group will be trialled between November 2024 and February 2025. You can find out more here:
Testimonials
I cannot say thank you enough for all the help and support you provide and have provided for me and countless other families. Thank you for giving your time and energy so that families can get back on their feet and live fuller, happier lives.
Just knowing my volunteer was available to help really helped my stress/worries and made everything easier to deal with.
The volunteer was wonderful – so kind and caring. Both my daughters adored her (I did too!)
Fantastic service and great staff. Can provide a lifeline to families who need that extra support.
Fantastic support for families. This has been a lifeline to many families to know they will see someone each week, or that they will enable them to get through the week.
I really appreciate the practical support the Volunteer gave to me. Friday mornings became a bit of a lifeline to me.
I wish I’d known about the service sooner because I needed the assistance; it’s such an amazing service.
My volunteer was a total star and fantastic support for all of us as a family.
Thank you so much for settling us up with someone so lovely. This will make all the difference to our lives.
Home-Start have been massively supportive of this family and have worked hard to give support at the times that suited mum.
Always a supportive service.
The mum has really benefitted from support.
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.