Get Support
Our support is free, confidential and non-judgmental.
How to get Support
Our referrals come mainly from health visitors, family support workers, early years professionals, social workers and GPs. Indeed any one working in the social care and child care sectors. Families can also refer themselves.
Home-Start Horizons support families who may be struggling to cope with a variety of challenges, including post-natal illness, disability, isolation, the demands of parenting young children, bereavement and multiple births: helping prevent these difficulties from escalating into crises, and crises from developing into family breakdown.
Our support is not a substitute for professional services but complementary to them, and the best results are achieved through an active partnership between professionals and Home-Start. Since we are a voluntary organisation it can offer a flexible approach to individual families.
How do I make a Referral
Families in need of support from Home-Start Horizons must have young children and live within Leicester, Charnwood, Melton and Rutland, Blaby District, Oadby and Wigston
Please discuss the referral to Home-Start Horizons with the family – they must agree and be willing to accept our support.
Download the referral form below and complete it, providing an indication of the family’s needs. Post or e-mail the completed referral form to us.
Contact us if you would like to discuss further with one of our team before referring a family.
What happens next?
Once a referral is accepted, we arrange an initial visit with the family to discuss their needs and tell them about what support is available to them from Home-Start Horizons.
We carefully match the skills and experiences of a volunteer to the needs of a family, who is then taken along to be introduced to the family.
Volunteers visit weekly at a mutually convenient time to support the family with their needs.
Referrers are kept fully informed throughout the process of referral, matching and at regular intervals during the period of support by the volunteer.
Our fully trained volunteers are often parents themselves and will visit you in your own home to help you where you need it the most. If you ask for Home-Start Horizons help you can be sure of complete confidentiality. All staff and volunteers have an enhanced level criminal records check.
Ways we can help
Many parents need support, friendship or an extra pair of hands during those early years when children are young. There is no rule book for raising a family and sometimes it can seem overwhelming, particularly if your family is going through difficult times.
If you are a parent with young children, living in Leicester, Charnwood, Melton or Rutland, Blaby District, Oadby and Wigston then we may be able to help you.
As a parent you may feel in need of our help for all sorts of reasons. We help:
- Parents with several young children, including multiple births.
- Parents who are new to the area or are feeling isolated
- Mums with post natal illness or mental health issues
- Parents who are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted
- Families coping with domestic abuse
- Families coping with illness or disabilities
We can provide:
- Emotional support to help parents find ways to manage and resolve problems
- Practical help – getting to appointments, help with shopping, budgeting, cooking and making the home safe
- Playing, listening, reading with the children
- Help with establishing routines, encouraging development and providing outings and trips
- Information and links to health, educational services and local groups
Confidentiality
Throughout Home-Start Horizons relationship with a family, all personal information about parents and families is treated as confidential, to be discussed only as necessary with the Home-Start organiser in support of the volunteer and to assist the family.
Confidential information will only be shared with appropriate agencies with the permission of the parents for the purpose of assisting the family, except where it is considered necessary for the welfare and protection of a child.
The Welfare of Children
Home-Start Horizons is committed to promoting the safety and welfare of children. The special relationships that Home-Start Horizons develops with families means that staff and volunteers may become alert to any concerns about the children’s safety and well being.
All of our volunteers, staff and trustees sign up to the Home-Start code of conduct for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and have criminal records checks at the appropriate level alongside other recruitment, induction, training and supervisory arrangements. Together these help to safeguard the children we support.
Home-Start UK – We answer the cries campaign – Fahima’s Story
For more videos from our national partner Home-Start UK,
Check out their Youtube Channel.