Would you like to help parents give their children the best start in life? Home-Start volunteers give emotional and practical support to families in need in Southwark and Lewisham.
The families Home-Start support could be experiencing a range of issues including: mental health issues; disability; special educational needs; illness; isolation as a result of being newly arrived in the UK or new to the borough as a result of fleeing domestic abuse; overcrowding; or multiple births. As a Home-Start volunteer you will:
- Visit families in their homes for two hours once a week for approximately six months.
- Provide emotional and practical support to help build parents confidence and resilience, strengthen their relationships with their children and widen their links with the local community.
- Help a family access a local playgroup or park, playing with a young child or providing a listening ear to a lonely parent.
While volunteering with Home-Start Southwark our volunteers receive:
- A free 7-day Volunteer Preparation Course covering all aspects of Family Support.
- A high quality ongoing training programme often run by experts in fields such as Mental Health, Domestic Abuse, Autism.
- Regular support and supervision.
- Out-of-pocket expenses.
- References after volunteering.
- Our volunteers have the opportunity to develop valuable skills and experience in working with families which they can use for career development or further studies.
- They meet like-minded members of their community and they experience the boost to wellbeing and self-esteem that comes from helping others and being part of a friendly, caring organisation.
We are looking for someone who can tick some or all of the below:
- Is understanding and supportive.
- Wants to help local families who are going through difficult times.
- Can commit to attend our Volunteer Preparation Course (one 4-hour session per week for 7 weeks).
- Can spare 2-3 hours a week on a regular basis.
- Can travel to families in the Borough of Southwark and/or Lewisham.
- Can speak other languages, as some of the families we work with do not have English as their first language (non essential).
Similar Opportunities
KEEN London is a small but growing charity. Our vision is that every child has the chance to enjoy games and leisure activities and none are left behind due to disability.
The Literacy Pirates is an educational, pirate themed charity that takes children aged between 9 and 13 on voyages as readers and writers. Our after-school programmes, led by teachers, offer one to one small group attention from trained volunteers.
LGBT+ pupils are twice as likely to get bullied. Volunteer in schools to share your story of growing up LGBT+ and the importance of allyship to change that. You’ll also have opportunities to meet new LGBT+ friends, write articles and develop skills!
