You can help parents in the Havant Borough give their children the best possible start in life by supporting your local Home-Start.

YOU won’t notice the difference but WE will…

Just £5 per month will make that difference - you need do nothing else - and you could be a WINNER in our annual prize draw! Help us make a difference to children.

Please complete the attached direct debit form and your lucky number(s) will follow.

Return your completed form to:
Home-Start Havant
Mill Hill Children’s Centre
Mill Road
Waterlooville
Hants, PO7 7DB

Home-Start Havant is keen to develop good relationships with a wide range of industries to ensure a better future for Havan't Children.

Become a Corporate Partner

Join those companies who are already working alongside Home-Start to raise funds to expand our service. Companies and Home-Start Havant - we can be a Win Win Partnership!
Win - Families get the help they need when they need it in a friendly, non-threatening way and we reach out to more children and parents who are struggling to cope.
Win - Companies become associated with the largest home-visiting family support charity in the UK and could be touching the lives of their employees.

Giving through payroll …

A simple and tax effective way to support our families. Setting up the scheme is easy and cost effective. Once up and running, employees ask their payroll department to deduct a donation from their pay before tax, which means that a £10 donation costs you just £7.80. Many more companies now recognise that supporting vital work in local communities is good for families and is good for business.

Organise a fundraising event …

Whether you fundraise on your own or with your workmates and employer, there are lots of ways you can help. The Home-Start Staff are always willing to help and support any fundraising efforts.

Releasing employees to volunteer …

All Home-Start volunteers complete a 10 week, one day a week, training course, that allows them not only to explore what is involved in supporting families, but also their own values and attitudes, levels of confidence and strengths and weaknesses. This self-awareness can then be carried over into other aspects of their life, including their jobs.

Joining us as a volunteer …

Either by

• Visiting families
• Becoming a member of our management committee
• Being a scheme Patron

Our Volunteers are our most important asset!

For every family we help there are many more we cannot. Our aim is to expand our service to ensure support is available for every parent in the Borough of Havant. With your support this could become a reality. You can make a real difference by ...

Donating money ...

You can help parents in the Havant Borough give their children the best possible start in life by supporting your local Home-Start.

YOU won’t notice the difference but WE will…

Just £5 per month will make that difference - you need do nothing else - and you could be a WINNER in our annual prize draw! Help us make a difference to children.

Please download, complete and send to us the Direct Debit Form attached below and your lucky number(s) will follow.

Return your completed form to:
Home-Start Havant
Mill Hill Children’s Centre
Mill Road
Waterlooville
Hants, PO7 7DB

Leaving a gift in your will ...

You don’t have to be rich, distinguished or old! to include Home-Start Havant in your will, any amount small or large will be received with gratitude and appreciation. By leaving a gift to Home-Start Havant in your Will, or in memory of a loved-one you can make a lasting difference to the next generation.

Making a gift of unwanted shares …

You can make a gift of any unwanted shares and Home-Start Havant will arrange their sale for you.

Supporting Home-Start through Charitable Trusts…

Ever since the setting up of Home-Start Havant in 1983, charitable trusts, large and small have played a crucial role in supporting our work and continue to do so.

Without this funding, Home-Start Havant could not help families who would otherwise have no access to our support.

There are many ways in which individuals and groups can support Home-Start Havant.

Become a volunteer

Contact Us to find out about visiting and supporting a family who has been referred to Home-Start Havant.

Join the Management Committee and become a trustee

We are always seeking individuals with a passion for our work, please Contact Us to find out more.

Donate

Make a Monthly Donation to financially support our work.

Help in Other Ways

During the year we like to organise outings and parties for Home-Start families – special days that memories are made of. We sometimes provide food hampers for families in times of financial hardship, and at Christmas we like to give good quality toys to the children and a small gift for their parents.

All this costs money, and is possible due to the fund raising efforts of our volunteers. Would you or someone you know like to help us raise money for these little extras that make a difference to the families we support – perhaps you could hold a fundraising event at work or with friends?

If you would like more information about Home-Start Havant please Contact Us – we would be happy to come and give a presentation or just have an informal chat about our work.

Home-Start Havant volunteers come from all walks of life – from young mothers who help other young mums and parents whose children have just started school, to grandparents who have a few hours to spare each week. All volunteers are carefully selected and undergo an enhanced Criminal Record Bureau check; references are also taken up.

Do I need any qualifications or experience?

The only “real” qualification is that you have to be a parent or have parenting experience – perhaps as a step-parent or carer. We like to think that above all else, our volunteers are the kind of people our families would choose themselves as a friend. So, friendliness and a caring attitude are essential as well as an understanding of the pressures of parenting.

What will I do?

Our volunteers visit families in their own homes once a week for 2 hours to offer friendship, support and practical help. A co-ordinator will introduce you to a family who has asked for support and, after the initial visit, you will arrange a suitable day and time to visit the family each week. Volunteers do whatever a “good friend” would do – this could be having a coffee and chat whilst playing or helping with the children; a trip to the shops, park, library or swimming; accompanying the family to appointments – anything that would relieve stress and help parents enjoy family life.

Is there any training or support?

Yes – all volunteers undergo a 40 hour Course of Preparation that covers everything you need to know about visiting families the Home-Start way. Once you have completed the Course, you will receive regular support and supervision from the co-ordinators and have access to our In-Service Training Programme. The co-ordinator will also undertake regular reviews with you and your family to monitor the needs of the family.

What should I do now?

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please Contact Us to find out more.