“It is a safe, warm and loving environment. Mums, dads and carers come together, and there’s a community. Our children play together, the staff look out for you with a cuppa, a warm welcome, good chat and everyone supports one another. No matter how bad your week has been, Warm Place will be there for you and your family.”
This is a quote from a parent who regularly uses the Warm Place at Home-Start in Glasgow South. Home- Start UK is a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support, helping families with young children navigate challenging times. The organisation was founded in in 1973, and last year aided 78,900 children in 43,692 families across the UK. Home-Start UK’s founder, Margaret Harrison, believed that supporting a family was best done in the home where it could be shaped to meet their individual needs. Whilst this ethos remains at the heart of the organisation’s work, it is always evolving. Home-Start UK’s provision now includes assistance for young mothers, home-visits, help to access local services, early-years’ intervention, parent and toddler groups, and support for volunteers.
Home-Start, Wandsworth. Credit: Home-Start UK
The Tedworth Charitable Trust has provided core support since 1995. The latest grant of £30,000, made in December 2023, is being used to help double the organisation’s volunteer-led support. Volunteers are key in supporting families – especially during a cost-of-living crisis, when challenges faced by many parents are exacerbated. Home-Start UK is now investing in volunteer recruitment and enhancing its training programme. There is also a focus on leadership across its network, sustainability of local services, and expansion into geographic cold spots – alongside collaboration with local partners and engagement with other national charities.
“The volunteers and staff there have created a space of compassion and sharing which leads to the strongest sense of community I have ever experienced,” reflects a parent. “We often call it ‘The Warm Place Effect’ where a mum, dad or carer will occasionally burst into tears, then we will rally round to listen and support...I attend twice every week when before I struggled to leave the house with the girls. I'm happier and healthier – and so is my family.”
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