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Volunteers
Who can be a Home-Start volunteer?
Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcomed, both men and women, just as long as they have had full-time parenting experience themselves. The Coordinator visits everyone who wants to be a volunteer, takes up references and does a police check on their background.
All Home-Start volunteers attend a 10 week course of preparation (1 day a week) to increase their knowledge and skills. Topics covered include listening skills, child protection procedure, confidentiality and child development.
Once a volunteer has been approved, he or she is carefully matched with a family, and the Co-ordinator will introduce them.
On-going support, supervision and further training is offered to all Home-Start volunteers, and expenses are paid.
The Co-ordinator will keep in regular contact with the family and the volunteer and will review the support given. Our aim is to help the family cope without our support, but there is no time limit for this.
If a volunteer is still visiting when the youngest child reaches the age of five, then the situation will be carefully reviewed and the ending of the work will be planned.