Home-Start Better Start
Practical and emotional support in the home for expectant families and families with children aged 0-3
What is Home-Start Better Start
Home-Start Better Start provides emotional and practical support to help parents cope better with the stresses of daily life.
Tailored support is provided by volunteer peer supporters who know what it’s like to be a parent and really care about helping other families live happier lives by offering:
- Empathy and an understanding that problems are not unusual
- Reassurance that they are not alone
- A listening ear and a shoulder to cry on
- An extra pair of hands to help them cope with everyday situations
- Practical help with activities like playing or story time
- Friendly support through difficult times for as long as they need support
What difference does Home-Start Better Start
The strength of Home-Start Better Start lies in its tailored approach to supporting families with different needs in different circumstances. For some there might be emphasis on reducing social isolation, while for others the challenge might lie in coping with poor parental health or stress caused by conflict within the family.
Even though different families will follow different paths, the ultimate goal for every family is to improve child development and wellbeing.
Examples of the difference that can be made include:
- Parents feel reassured that difficulties in bringing up children and coping with stress is not unusual
- Parents find ways to manage and resolve problems
- Children’s development, health and wellbeing is impacted through play, fun, established feeding routines, outings, reading, drawing, and singing nursery rhymes
- Families access more local services
- Parents have been assisted with areas such as budgeting, nutrition and meal planning, cooking and making the home safe
- Parents get out more, meet others and become more involved in their own community
- Families are better-informed about what other services are available, including health and educational services
- Parents gain confidence in their parenting skills
In addition, the project increases the confidence and future employment opportunities of the volunteer peer supporters.
Who is eligible for Home-Start Better Start?
Expectant families and families with children aged 0-3 living in the Better Start Bradford area.
My anxiety levels have significantly reduced since Tanya came into my life and I will now go out shopping with my baby and my son.
E-mail to enquire about making a referralIt really helped to have a support and direction from another parent to give my children the best start. In fact, Home-Start Better Start really is the perfect name.
This project is delivered by Home-Start Bradford District
Contact the team:
More information about Home-Start Better Start
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Find out how to refer pregnant women for practical and emotional support through latter pregnancy, birth and beyond - delivered for us by Bradford Doulas.
Find out how to refer women for emotional and mental health support during pregnancy and the first year after birth, delivered for us by Family Action.
Find out how families can sign up for free books for their children, every month from birth to their fifth birthday. Delivered for us by BHT Early Education and Training.
When 35-year-old Aisha* gave birth to her second child, she felt that the world was completely against her, he felt very alone until support came in the form of Home-Start Better Start volunteer Tanya Marshall.
