Home-Start Camden supports families with young children who are going through a difficult time. We do this by matching them with a trained volunteer parent or person with parenting experience, who visits the family in their own home on a weekly basis. The charity is part of the Home-Start UK network of more than 300 such organisations around the UK.We believe that parents have the key role in creating a secure and happy environment for their children. By helping parents do this, we hope to help children have a better start in life.
Over time, our amazing volunteers help parents to:
– increase their confidence and parenting skills,
– reduce isolation,
– reduce stress levels,
– increase positive play and reading experiences for children
– and parents develop strategies for happier family experiences!
We have a small team of staff based in Kentish Town to find out what families need and to support our network of over 80+ active volunteers annually in working with Camden’s families. We give all our volunteers 8 days special training, carry out safeguarding checks and references as well as providing regular supervision. Our training is accredited for vocational qualifications and can often help with subsequent employment prospects.Once the volunteers are trained, we assign them to support a family. They support this family for as long as help is needed with weekly visits. Often they go onto to support other families year after year. Throughout the match, volunteers and the families are looked after by one of our very experienced co-ordinators.
Our Funding
We are funded entirely by grants and private donations. We are grateful to all the following funding organisations – The Big Lottery Fund, The Henry Smith Charity, Four Acre Trust and the London Borough of Camden’s Volunteer, Giving and Exchange Fund – who collectively provide the bulk of our funds. We have also been fortunate in securing the support of additional grants from the Hampstead Wells and Campden Trust, Tanza Trust, Mercers’ Charitable Foundation, Drapers’ Charitable Fund. and Awards for All. In addition we benefit from the support of a very active group of local people in Camden. If you would like to help too, please go to our website homestartcamden.org
Most recently we have received grants from the Volunteer Centre Camden to support our Family-friendly Volunteer programme and from the Big Lottery Awards for All for a new project, CHAIN REACTION, to help us bring HSC parents together to share their skills and celebrate their creative talents. This will result in Home-Start Camden’s 20th Anniversary Celebration event in May/June 2015. Watch this space!
We run many local events for parents, children, volunteers and supporters. You can see these on this web-site and in our newsletter.
Home Start Camden