Home-Start Glasgow South is a family support charity based in Glasgow South. We work with families, with at least one child up to the age of 8, who are struggling to cope with the challenges of parenting along with sometimes difficult personal circumstances. Our volunteers visit families for 2-3 hours each week in their own home to provide practical and emotional support. If a family is isolated, they may need support to go to a local group. An overwhelmed parent may need help to organise the household or it could be that a mum or dad just need someone to talk to. A volunteer can make a big difference in a couple of hours a week. Volunteering in the family home can also include Perinatal Support (pregnancy -2 years) and English Tutoring. The support and friendship you can provide is invaluable and can help take away some of the stresses of day to day life, enabling parents to cope better with daily tasks and improve their confidence, giving their children the best possible start in life.

Volunteers are the heart of Home-Start, and they are looking for kind, compassionate individuals to join the team of Home-Visiting and Group Support Volunteers. WHERE: In your community WHEN At a time that suits you COMMITMENT: 2 hours a week (flexible to your availability) TRAINING PROVIDED: Yes ABOUT: Home-Start Clackmannanshire offers guidance, friendship, and practical support to families across Clackmannanshire with at least one child under twelve. They work with families to help them overcome issues impacting their lives through various family support services. Every family is unique. However, common issues they support include loneliness, mental health difficulties, bereavement, family breakdown, addiction, and physical ill-health. They've been supporting local families across Clackmannanshire since 1988. The Home-Start team (staff, volunteers and trustees) are committed to ensuring that children are given the best possible start in life as #childhoodcantwait. THE ROLE OF HOME-VISITING VOLUNTEERS: They seek individuals with parenting/caring experience to offer practical peer support to local families. Having this life experience and understanding that sometimes family life can be challenging is why volunteer support is so powerful and valuable in supporting other families. Their home-visiting volunteers operate within the family setting – in their homes and supporting them to connect with their local community. Your role will be based on the family's needs. This could involve practical tasks such as helping them to get out of the house and go to a local park, encouraging them to attend appointments, offering guidance in setting household routines, or simply providing a listening ear. Home-Start volunteers aim to build the confidence and independence of their matched family by: • Offering support, friendship, and practical help. • Committing to 2 hours per week home-visiting, according to the family's needs. • Visiting the families in their own homes, where the dignity and identity of everyone can be respected and protected. • Reassuring families that difficulties in bringing up children are not unusual. • Emphasising the positive aspects of family life. • Developing a relationship with the family where time can be shared and an understanding developed, providing a regular, reliable presence in that family. • Drawing on their own life experiences to encourage parents' strengths and emotional well-being for the ultimate benefit of their children/family. • Encouraging families to widen their network of relationships and to engage with broader support and services available in their community. TRAINING: The home-visiting and group support volunteers must complete a 6–7-week preparation course. This provides an opportunity for you to ask questions and truly understand the importance of your role whilst also giving staff the time to get to know you so they can match you with the right family/group. The training is designed by family practitioners and experts in the industry and covers essential information, including: - The role of a Home-Start volunteer - Values, attitudes, and inclusivity - Confidentiality - Listening and communication - Meeting the needs of families and children - Safeguarding REQUIREMENTS: Volunteers are required to: - Have some form of parenting/caring experience. - Commit to the training programme. - Commit to regular family support/group sessions. - Provide two references (character or professional). - Join the PVG scheme (Home-Start will support this process). Having a criminal conviction does not necessarily exclude you from volunteering with Home-Start. If you are concerned about this, please get in touch). - Understand that support provided to families is entirely confidential. - Have a non-judgemental attitude. - Adhere to their policies and procedures to protect themselves and the families. ONGOING SUPPORT: Each volunteer has a dedicated Family Support Co-ordinator who will be their main point of contact and provide support throughout their volunteering journey. Given the nature of this role, they have a robust preparation course and induction. Chances for ongoing training, development, and social opportunities are provided throughout the year (they have a volunteer calendar of events). Home-Start are also committed to supporting the team to develop, so if a training or learning need/interest arises outside the calendar, they will do their best to help you access it. This is an incredibly rewarding role, and you will have the chance to be part of a vital local service and a global network of Home-Starts. All volunteers are provided with travel expenses. References are available for volunteers. Both the premises and group premises are fully accessible. Please note we cannot guarantee family homes are accessible, but we will take accessibility requirements into account when matching volunteers with a family.

Home-Start Glasgow North and North Lanarkshire has a great opportunity for people who have experience parenting or working with children and families! Our volunteers provide practical and emotional support to families with children under the age of 5 who are experiencing difficulties. Home-Start Volunteers are often parents themselves or have experience of the challenges of young family life. They choose to share their time, friendship, skills and experience because they understand the demands and stresses on young families. We match each family with the right volunteer for them and the volunteer commits to support 2-3 hours per week. Families can find it hard to cope for all different reasons - illness or disability, postnatal health, lack of family support, past addictions or asylum seeking families new to the country. Volunteers support parents as they learn to cope, improve their confidence and build better lives for themselves and their children. Simple things help families move on and become more resilient - a listening ear, getting out of the house, joining groups, a cuppa and a chat, friendship and fun. Home-Start Glasgow North was founded in 2001 and expanded in 2017 to include the satellite office in North Lanarkshire. For many years, we've worked across communities to provide support for families with young children who are facing difficulties. We have long-term experience in family support and are established as one of the leading charities working in this field in the community. Our impact within the local communities we serve is far reaching, aiding reduction in solation and loneliness, improving mental health of adults and children, improving educational attainment, building healthy relationships, supporting more nurturing environments and improving the wellbeing of parents with, or at risk of, mental ill health during the perinatal period (during pregnancy and until infant reaches one year old). With our focus on empowerment and resilience, we assist families to become self-reliant, confident and connected. Volunteers join us for many reasons, but all share the same motivation - the desire to help others. No special qualifications are necessary to volunteer with Home-Start but Family Support Volunteers must be a parent, have parenting experience, or have experience working with children and families. Family Support Volunteers will be matched with a family and will then offer support by visiting them at home, in the community (pre-Covid times) or connecting by phone and online video chat (post-Covid) each week. We expect the type of support Family Support Volunteers may provide to include: helping families to engage in play with children, supporting larger families to have more time with individual children, supporting families to engage in new activities or providing practical support to families at home. All volunteers are given a FREE 5 session training course to ensure that they are fully prepared and confident in the role. Courses are run 4 times throughout the year - next course starts week in April. Participants will learn about health and wellbeing, child development, attachment, child protection, community projects and a number of key areas of our specific services. We are looking for family support volunteers to support families in the home and out in the community 2-3 hours during the working week, the time is flexible to suit your availability. We select, train and support volunteers who: •Offer support, friendship, and practical assistance •Provide encouragement of parents’ strengths and emotional well-being for the ultimate benefit of the children •Encourage families to widen their network of relationships and to use the support and services available within the community effectively. All volunteers undergo an enhanced criminal records check, at no cost to volunteers. If you're interested, please click the ‘apply’ button below (available when logged in and registered). You will then be contacted by the coordinator by email or phone call. If you have not heard back after 5 working days, the first step is to contact the organisation with the contact details provided. You could also check your junk/spam folder on your emails just in case the response is there. If that doesn’t work out then please feel free to contact Volunteer Glasgow on info@volunteerglasgow.org.

You must be a parent or have carer experience. Good communication skills; friendly and empathetic. Volunteers will be supported by a volunteer co-ordinator and will have regular support and supervision, as well as ongoing training. Home-Start Wigtownshire is a voluntary organisation in which volunteers offer regular support, friendship and practical help to families with young children who are facing personal challenges, helping to prevent family crisis or breakdown. Home-Start Wigtownshire volunteers support families in the following ways: Home Visiting ; Family Group ; Telephone Befriender Offering support, friendship and practical help. This might include help with budgeting, meal planning, attending appointments, accessing services etc. Visiting families in their own homes, or by helping out at our weekly family groups, or providing remote support via a telephone/video call where the dignity and identity of each individual can be respected and protected through non-judgemental, compassionate and confidential support. Reassuring families that difficulties in bringing up children are not unusual. Emphasising the positive aspects of family life and positive parenting. Developing a relationship with the family in which time can be shared and an understanding developed. Encouraging parents’ strengths and emotional well being for the ultimate benefit of their own children. Encouraging families to widen their network of relationships and to use effectively the support and services available in the community. Interested in finding out more?