Offering support, friendship and practical help

In order to give children the best possible start in life, Home-Start helps families going through difficult times, whether because of bereavement, illness or disability of the child or the parent, post-natal depression, family breakdown, loneliness and isolation, or stress in coping with a number of young children.

Our committed and caring volunteers are parents themselves. They are trained and carefully matched with a family. Volunteers visit families at home each week offering non-judgemental support, friendship, emotional and practical help. Each Volunteer is supervised by our experienced Home-Visiting Coordinators.  By offering friendship, support and practical help, Volunteers enable parents to grow in confidence, strengthen their relationships with their children and widen their links with the local community.

Families are referred to us, usually by Health Visitors, Family Support Workers, GPs, Social Workers, Nursery Nurses, Perinatal Mental Health Services, Maternity Services or by the parents themselves.

Whilst Home-Start East Surrey is a confidential service, we work in partnership with other organisations where this benefits a family. These could include Family Centres and Statutory Services.

Although we receive some funding from Surrey County Council, we rely on further funding through grants, donations and fund raising events. This funding enables us to continue to offer our hands-on, preventative local family support service; which is discreet and free of charge to families in need.