About Us
Home-Start Winchester believes that parents play the key role in ensuring that children have a happy and secure childhood. Even the most dedicated parents can face challenging situations and it is at times like these that a volunteer can support and encourage families to overcome their difficulties and provide a stable environment in which their children can flourish. Our volunteers offer friendship and support to parents with at least one child under five. They visit families in their homes for a few hours each week during which time they provide both emotional and practical support.
Home-Start Winchester operates in Winchester and surrounding rural areas. Within the city there are two wards that are amongst the most deprived areas in the UK. We also serve Alresford, Bishop’s Sutton, Bramdean, the Candover Valley, Bishopstoke, Chandlers Ford, Colden Common, Crawley, Eastleigh, Kings Somborne, Otterbourne, Owslebury, Sparsholt, Sutton Scotney and Twyford.
Home-Start Winchester is one of over 200 schemes within the national Home-Start movement, each of which is an independent charity which supports families in local communities. Bound to one another and to Home-Start UK by an Agreement which determines Quality Standards, each scheme is run independently with its own charitable status, Board of Trustees and with responsibility for securing its own funding.
Home-Start UK was set up in 1973 and last year helped nearly 35000 families and 71000 children supported by 16000 volunteers.
To Home-Start every family is special and each family’s needs are responded to through a combination of home-visiting support by volunteers, group work and social events. Home-Start wants to see a society in which every parent has the support they need to give their children the best possible start in life.
Home-Start Winchester aims is to offer free support to families with at least one child under five, which are going through difficult times which may include one or more of the following:
- Loneliness and isolation
- Coping with twins, triplets or several pre-school children
- Ill health, disability and special needs
- Relationship difficulties
- Lone parenting
- First time parenthood and new babies
- Children’s behavioural problems
Our services are provided by a team of volunteers who are recruited, trained and given on-going support by our Coordinators. Volunteers provide informal, friendly and confidential support, for at least two hours once a week, generally for between 6 to 12 months, although periods of more than a year are not uncommon for families with more complex problems.
We work in close collaboration with other agencies and the other Home-Start schemes in Hampshire.
Home-Start Winchester is one of over 200 schemes within the national Home-Start movement, each of which is an independent charity which supports families in local communities. Bound to one another and to Home-Start UK by an Agreement which determines Quality Standards, each scheme is run independently with its own charitable status, Board of Trustees and with responsibility for securing its own funding.
Home-Start UK was set up in 1973 and last year helped nearly 35000 families and 71000 children supported by 16000 volunteers.
To Home-Start every family is special and each family’s needs are responded to through a combination of home-visiting support by volunteers, group work and social events. Home-Start wants to see a society in which every parent has the support they need to give their children the best possible start in life.
Home-Start Winchester aims is to offer free support to families with at least one child under five, which are going through difficult times which may include one or more of the following:
- Loneliness and isolation
- Coping with twins, triplets or several pre-school children
- Ill health, disability and special needs
- Relationship difficulties
- Lone parenting
- First time parenthood and new babies
- Children’s behavioural problems
Our services are provided by a team of volunteers who are recruited, trained and given on-going support by our Coordinators. Volunteers provide informal, friendly and confidential support, for at least two hours once a week, generally for between 6 to 12 months, although periods of more than a year are not uncommon for families with more complex problems.
We work in close collaboration with other agencies and the other Home-Start schemes in Hampshire.
Our Staff
Liz Stannard
Service ManagerLiz joined Home-Start in 2014 as part time scheme Coordinator. Married with three children, Liz trained as a physiotherapist and has supported children with special needs. Her appointment expanded the number of families that we could mentor each year. Liz was promoted to Service Manager in April 2020.
Jane Read
Co-ordinatorJane joined the Home-Start team in April 2020. She started her career as a live in nanny, then a teaching assistant in a special school and 30 years ago she came to Winchester to do teacher training. Jane taught for many years in Primary schools, brought up her two girls and over the last eight years has developed the role of a well-being practitioner in both Primary and Secondary schools.
Sue Barham
Office ManagerSue is our part-time Office Manager joining Home-Start in June 2007. Prior to working for Home-Start, Sue worked for Lloyds Bank for over 30 years. She has one daughter and is Chair of Governors at a local primary school.
Liz Brown
Family Group LeaderLiz is our part-time Family Group Leader. She joined Home-Start in 2007. Married with one son, she has been a primary school teacher.
Charlotte Howard
Family Group Co-ordinatorCharlotte joined Home-Start November 2021. She lives with her husband and her four children on the outskirts of Winchester. Charlotte is a trained Montessori teacher and she also recently trained as a Home-Start volunteer.
Bonnie
Family Group LeaderBonnie started as a family group leader in Sept 2022. She is a mum to 5 children and when her twins were born a Home-Start volunteer supported her through a very foggy time! Bonnie has worked previously as a Teaching Assistant and voluntarily run toddler groups. She is loving her role with Home-Start, especially meeting and getting to know all our wonderful families.
