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Home-Start Colchester, Jaywick and Clacton
Home-Start Colchester an independent local charity committed to making a real difference to the lives of local children and families.
Home-Start Colchester is responsive to need, designing support to make a difference and help families remain independent and intervention to support children to achieve their full potential.
We offer two key services:
- Recruiting and training local volunteer mentors.
- Providing innovative projects to support both parents and children.
Our Values
- Take the time to listen and understand what local families want.
- Respect all service users’ identity, community, heritage and diversity.
- Develop services and partnerships that best support local families.
- Promote continuous improvement in all we do.
- Continue to invest in developing local people’s skills to volunteers.
- Provide a non-judgmental service.
- Strive to empower positive changes.
Our Approach
Our Home-Start scheme is rooted into the local community we serve. As an independent local charity we are managed locally. However, we form part of a network of Home-Start charities that align themselves to a tried-and-tested model – that of volunteer home visiting. Through this network our work is supported by the national organisation, Home-Start UK, that provides advice, training, information and guidance to schemes to ensure a consistent and quality support service for parents and children.
About the scheme
In 1993, local partners and professionals fought hard to create a Home-Start scheme in Colchester. In 1996 a successful Lottery bid enabled the scheme to begin to develop the Home-Start service, recruiting local volunteers to benefit local families. The scheme has continued to sustain a Home-Start service locally for over 22 years. We now deliver services in both Colchester and South Tendring.
What services do we offer?
- One-to-one support with parenting. This can be in your own home, at a group or at an organised drop-in session
- Parenting support advice and strategies for children 0-11years
- Information and advice
- Support with housing concerns
- Benefit advice
- Foodbank vouchers including collection and delivery of food where needed
- Grant application to help you with items you need but can not currently afford
- Group support for parents or children
- Healthy-eating
- School readiness and play opportunities, help with education.
- Family events
- Children workshops for children 5 – 11 years
- Holiday fund
Volunteer support
- We can match you with a trained volunteer to provide weekly mentoring assistance in your own home to provide support at difficult and challenging times.
- Mentoring for young people and parents.
- Peer parent support
