Referral FAQs

Volunteers provide weekly support for a period of time consistent with a family’s needs, with the aim of supporting families to overcome challenges and develop resilience and independence to move forward positively with their lives. Home-Start support may be for a few weeks or up to approximately 6 months. Support requirements are assessed initially and reviewed regularly.

All personal information about parents and families is treated as confidential, to be discussed only as necessary with the coordinator in support of the volunteer and to assist the family. Any disclosure of confidential information to any other person may only be undertaken with the expressed 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, when information shall be shared with the appropriate authority.

The coordinator pays careful attention when matching a volunteer’s skills and experience to the needs of families. Many factors are taken into consideration, including:

• The family’s needs
• The volunteer’s aptitudes, skills and experience
• Practical considerations: geography, transport and time
• Mutual interests or life experience
• What motivates the volunteer
• Issues around culture, gender, background and disability

The success of Home-Start support is dependent on the relationship that develops between the family and the volunteer, so coordinators make every effort to match sensitively and appropriately.

The coordinator will always accompany the volunteer on the first visit to introduce the volunteer to the family and set the ground rules for visiting.

Referrers will be informed in writing whether the referral has been accepted or declined and when the support to a family begins and ends. Referrers will receive further updates by phone or e-mail where appropriate.

Coordinators are happy to speak to referrers, usually by phone.

Home-Start East Surrey’s policy is not to keep a waiting list. We aim to provide support to families as soon as possible, however on some occasions we may ask you to consider re-referring later on. A coordinator can provide more information about this.

All referrals that are accepted for Home-Start support will receive an initial visit by a coordinator to clarify the needs of the family and consider the support that Home-Start can offer. We aim to visit the family within 4 weeks of receipt of referral.

If the referral does not fall within the remit of the branch, or there are insufficient resources to provide support, the referrer will be contacted and be informed that Home-Start East Surrey cannot help on this occasion.  We will always endeavour to signpost families and referrers to alternative organisations who may be able to provide support.

For each referral made a Referral Form should be completed.

Before sending in a referral form, families must be consulted, informed of the content of the referral form and show their agreement by signing the form.

All referrals received will be assessed to determine whether or not:

• The family is willing, and has given their consent, to receive support from Home-Start East Surrey
• The referral falls within the remit of the branch
• The referrer needs to provide further information prior to a visit by the coordinator
• The scheme is likely to have the resources to support the family
• That it is safe to place a volunteer with the family

Referrals are usually made by other professionals, e.g. Health Visitors, GPs, Family Centres, Family Support Programme, Children's Services and others. We are able to consider self-referrals from families, where they meet our service criteria.

Home-Start East Surrey will endeavor to provide support to families who live in the areas where our services are available (see map), who have at least one child under the age of eleven and who require additional support due to challenges such as physical or mental health issues (parent or child), disability, bereavement, parenting issues, isolation/lack of network and multiple births.

At times, due to demand, we may not always have volunteers available. For information about services, please call our office on 01737 770220. A copy of our leaflet to be shared with families can be found here.