Home-Start International Annual Report 2002

* The picture above shows Home-Start International Director Tanya Barron meeting with women and children

from the Druze Community in Israel.

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Welcome

2002 was a year of strong development for Home-Start Schemes all over the world. Not only was it exciting to find so many new countries approaching us for support, but it was perhaps even more important to see several of the more established Schemes entering new phases of expansion. For several countries this has meant achieving Government funding for national offices and much bigger programmes, for others it has involved a big increase in the number of families served. It feels as if Home-Start around the world has ended 2002 in very good health. Although Home-Start has always had a strong foundation of research that provides ample evidence of how and why the service is so important for young families, 2002 has seen a

great increase in the number of academic papers and books highlighting the critical importance of providing support to families with children age 0-5. In the past year the European Commission, in recognition of the role that Home-Start can play in providing family support to young families, funded a four country Home-Start study into the prevention of social exclusion among families with young children. The publication is available in English, Greek, French, Spanish and Dutch. Whilst it is very useful to have strong, evidence-based research showing the benefits of Home-Start, the really important news from 2002 is that Home-Starts around the world have been able to support more families than ever before. 62,040 children were helped in 2002 (5,000 more than last year), 14,751 new people became trained Home-Start volunteers (4,000 more than last year) and there were 484 Schemes around the world – an increase of 40 since this time last year. None of this would be possible without the energy and commitment of the Volunteers, who come from every part of the world, from every part of society, and from every age group. But what they have in common is a generous spirit and a real understanding of the great ups and downs that are all part of bringing up small children. Of course Volunteers need support too, and although Home-Start is remarkably cost-effective, the organisation is only able to succeed in its mission because of the generous and committed partnership that we have from our sponsors. The Stavros S Niarchos Foundation, The Oak Foundation, The Headley Trust, Herbalife International Family Foundation, Barclays Bank Plc, and many private individuals, have not only continued to fund our work, but have also continued to show a real interest in what Home-Start is doing for and with families. We are enormously grateful for this essential support.

Tanya Barron

Director

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HOME-START INTERNATIONAL: THE YEAR 2002

2002 was a year of tremendous growth and development, with Director Tanya Barron working alongside colleagues in many new countries taking their first steps towards setting up their own Schemes. Latvia and Lithuania are both starting Schemes in towns close to their shared border, which should enable them to help each other and work together to strengthen their Schemes. Greece, Sri Lanka and Malta also started to explore how they might create their own Home-Start organisations to offer support to families in their countries, and more established Home-Start countries such as Norway, Hungary and Ireland were all awarded Government grants, enabling them to set up their own National Offices. This was also the first year of the second phase of support provided by the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation, and the first year of a new partnership between the Oak Foundation and Home-Start International. We were also happy to have the support of funding from the Headley Trust, part of the Sainsbury Family Trusts. Europe was once again a major focus in 2002. The research project, begun in 2001 in conjunction with the European Commission, reporting on Social Exclusion in families with young children, finally came to fruition with the release of Home-Start International's first publication in October. Entitled, 'Tackling Social Exclusion in Families with Young Children' it was published in English, Dutch, Greek, French and Spanish.

The other major event to centre attention on Europe was The International Conference in Budapest. This was held over three days in April and encouraged a huge increase in communications from colleagues all over the world. Home-Start colleagues from fifteen countries encompassing Europe, Scandinavia, North America, and South and East Africa attended the conference. All eight existing countries were present plus seven of the eight new and prospective countries.

As well as an opportunity to exchange ideas and set up future partnerships, the conference provided a lively training opportunity for the newer countries. Commitment to the Principles and Practice document was reviewed and reconfirmed. The Trustees provided excellent support and involvement throughout the three days of the event. Much progress was made in two African countries with a third making plans. Marksen and Fridah at Home-Start Kenya have been busy training a large number of Organisers and an enthusiastic and energetic Anne Harte in Benoni, South Africa made further progress with setting up her scheme, which plans to work supporting families where the head of the household is a child. The third country showing interest in starting a scheme is Uganda.

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Towards the end of 2002 Home-Start International itself took a giant step towards greater independence with a move to its own office. This was after three and a half years of generous support from Bovis, in the form of free office space and services since its inception, thus saving Home-Start International some £10-15,000 per year. A very substantial gift. The new office is bright, cheerful and situated at 6 Market Place in Central London, an extremely handy location for visitors, office services and (being next to a fine Carlucchio's restaurant) lunch! Further highlights from Home-Start schemes around the world… • Russia was awarded $30,000 from The Herbalife International Family Foundation and plans

to start a new scheme in Moscow. • The Director of Home-Start Hungary, Dr. Agota Benko signed contracts to become Home-

Start International's first regional consultant. She will cover Central and Eastern Europe. Home-Start Hungary's new schemes are flourishing, with support from their Government and generous support from The British Embassy in Budapest.

• Home-Start Australia hosted a visit from our Chairman the Baroness Brigstocke, the first

Home-Start International visit since the formation of the Home-Start Australia National Office. Our Australian colleagues felt that this sort of support was very helpful in raising their profile with Government and in the community, and provided helpful fundraising opportunities.

• Home-Start International sadly had to bid farewell to Janette Wallis and Lorraine Daniel

(Communications and Administration responsibilities respectively), but their great talents have been replaced by a marvellous team, Nick Potter and Rosamund Magid.

• Malta hosted a visit for Home-Start International, and provided an interesting series of

meetings with all the relevant Government and Social Services departments. They identified the first of two pilot locations, and are intending to apply for government funding in the New Year.

• An international working group from Australia, Netherlands, South Africa and UK drafted

the first International Organiser course. The pilot course was written through a combination of email workshops and meetings in the UK. The team then went on to observe two UK Organiser courses and then reviewed their pilot course.

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HOME-START INTERNATIONAL AT A GLANCE The approach is simple: Home-Start provides a trained parent volunteer to help any parent, with

at least one child under five, who is finding it hard to cope.

During the year 2002, Home-Start countries worldwide helped: 62,040 Children

CCoouunnttrryy CChhiillddrreenn HHeellppeedd VVoolluunntteeeerrss HH--SS SScchheemmeess 2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002 AUSTRALIA 1,300 1610 450 560 21 26 CANADA 168 193 70 61 5 4 HUNGARY -- 76 -- 49 -- 9 ISRAEL 1,887 2,158 780 830 39 39 IRELAND 149 165 45 50 3 3 KENYA -- -- -- 320 -- 16 NETHERLANDS 3,243 3,309 940 960 40 42 NORWAY 322 459 141 166 13 16 RUSSIA 100 140 63 75 5 5 S. AFRICA 2 23 1 7 1 1 UGANDA* -- -- -- -- -- -- MALTA* -- -- -- -- -- -- GREECE* -- -- -- -- -- -- LATVIA* -- -- -- -- -- -- LITHUANIA* -- -- -- -- -- -- CZECH REPUBLIC*

-- -- -- -- -- --

USA* -- -- -- -- -- -- UK 48,000 53,907 8,000 11,673 320 323 TOTAL 55,169 62,040 10,489 14,751 446 484 NON-UK 7,169 8,133 2,489 3,078 126 161

*The structures for Home-Start schemes to begin recruiting organisers and volunteers in Uganda, Malta, Greece, Latvia,

Lithuania, Czech Republic and the USA have been put in place.

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Home-Start Schemes outside the UK

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Australia Canada Hungary Israel Ireland Kenya Netherlands Norway Russia S. Africa

Number of Schemes 2001 Number of Schemes 2002

2002 Home-Start International Income: £154,720

39,868

80,000

16,000

4,419

3,148

125

11,160

European Commission

Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation

Headley Trust

Other Donations

Bank Interest

Sundry income

Bovis Lend Lease (in kind)

2002 Home-Start International Expenditure: £250,681

62,723

27,090

23,86016,82568,628

1,510

18,628

1,965

648

25,999

1,926

879Training and SalariesDevelopment and SupportInternational Study VisitsInformation and ResourcesEU ProjectTelephoneGrantsCapital Grants Subscriptions and FeesAdministrationAdvocacyCosts of Generating Funds

*The apparent reduction in resources arose because income was received in 2001 for 2002 expenditure.

*NB. Oak Foundation donation for 2002 shows as income in 2001.

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WHAT IS HOME-START?

Home-Start is an independent voluntary organisation that is committed to promoting the welfare of families with at least one child under school age. Non-paid volunteers offer regular support, friendship and practical help to young families, primarily in their homes, helping to prevent family crisis and breakdown as well as promoting the enjoyment of family life. The organisation began in England in 1973 and there are now over 320 independent schemes throughout the UK (including 19 schemes working with British Services Families in Germany and Cyprus), with more than 11,000 volunteers working with families.

WHAT IS HOME-START INTERNATIONAL?

The development of Home-Start in other countries has taken place gradually over the past twelve years. In addition to over 100 schemes in Australia, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, The Netherlands, Norway and Russia, there are now many other countries seeking to adopt and adapt the Home-Start approach. Requests have been made through government departments, NGOs, Large Family Associations, Councils of Churches, academic institutions and individuals. Home-Start International (H-SI), a UK charitable trust based in London, was founded in May 1999. Its mission is to support and promote the development of Home-Start in other countries and to encourage the exchange of information and ideas among Home-Start organisations around the world. There is an International Advisory Group with representatives from each of the countries where Home-Start already exists. The members have worked together over the past six years to establish Home-Start International, and meet regularly to provide international advice to the director.

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HOME-START AIMS

Home-Start aims to increase the confidence and independence of the family by:

• Offering support, friendship and practical help to families with at least one child under school age

• Primarily meeting families in their homes, where their problems exist and where the dignity and identity of each individual can be respected and protected

• Reassuring parents that difficulties in bringing up children are not unusual and emphasising the pleasures of family life

• Developing a relationship with the family in which time can be shared and understanding can be developed; the approach is flexible to take account of different needs

• Encouraging the parents’ strengths and emotional well-being for the ultimate benefit of the children

• Encouraging families to widen their network of relationships and to use effectively the support and services available within the community

Trust, co-operation and good communication are essential to the development of Home-Start as a whole. Such relationships are fundamental throughout the organisation, involving families, volunteers, professional workers, Home-Start staff and committee members.

THE HOME-START ETHOS AND APPROACH The voluntary ethic permeates Home-Start wherever it exists:

• Each country or community chooses to have a Home-Start scheme • Volunteers choose to work for Home-Start • Families choose to have Home-Start support

The relationship between the Home-Start volunteer and the family is established by choice. Home-Start recognises the diversity in families and in all work respects the special cultural, ethnic and religious traditions that make each one distinct. In all external and internal dealings, Home-Start schemes and national Home-Start organisations demonstrate the essential ethos of:

Choice Partnership Openness Encouragement Flexibility Responsiveness and enjoyment!

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN: “In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when our own three children were still quite young, I became heavily involved in voluntary work in Leicester, England. During that time I realised that all parents need someone with the time to be with them at home, where their problems exist, and where their dignity and identity can be respected and protected – someone with time to listen, time to care about each member of the family, time to help with practical tasks, and time to have a laugh together and some fun. Very tentatively, I went about establishing a new voluntary organisation, to be called ‘Home-Start’, because we would start in the home, offering support, friendship and practical help to any family with at least one child under the age of five. We knew we couldn’t take on the world, and so it seemed important to focus on families at the beginning of family life, because after all, the formative first years of a child’s life are vital to their future well-being. Yet it is just at that same time that parents so often experience particular difficulties and frustrations of their own – lower income, sleepless nights, relationship problems and the task of endlessly nurturing and giving of themselves to their young children. There were several decisions during those early days of Home-Start, which have proved essential: • Home-Start is a Voluntary organisation. It can therefore choose to exist, and be complementary

to the other statutory and voluntary organisations within a community. • Volunteers are recruited to share their time, humanity and practical skills with one or more

families. Frequently volunteers report feeling they’ve gained far more than they ever contribute! • Perhaps above all, the voluntary ethic enables parents themselves to have the genuine choice

about whether or not they wish to accept a Home-Start volunteer into their home. • The Home-Start logo, the ‘Ancient Symbol of Friendship’ denotes partnership, which is

fundamental to the Home-Start ethos and approach. It evokes the ‘alongside’ nature of the relationships within Home-Start, as volunteers are alongside the professionals, providing the emotional and practical support for families, which the professionals often cannot contribute; and volunteers are alongside each other sharing ideas and skills for the ultimate benefit of the parents they visit.

The families, who are referred mostly by social or health workers or by themselves, have a wide variety of different needs. The parents may feel isolated, overwhelmed, exhausted, unable to cope, unable to cook, can’t get out of the house (four children under four!) or are suffering from poor physical or mental health. Volunteers can provide at least five things, which are difficult or impossible for the professionals: 1. Time – on average 3 hours each week per family visited. 2. Flexibility – responding to what a parent feels would be most helpful on a particular day. 3. A mutual relationship – the parent and the volunteer give and take from the relationship they establish, in a

mutually acceptable way. 4. The Home-Start volunteer does not represent authority. 5. The Home-Start volunteers are able to provide emotional support for the whole family. The late Mia Kellmer Pringle, in her book The Needs of Children, stated that what every child needs is love and security, praise and recognition, new experiences and responsibility. We find that is exactly what the parents need for themselves first. They need someone to praise them and recognise what they are coping with. They need the love and security of a volunteer, who cares about them first. They need new experiences, ideas and someone to acknowledge and support their responsibility as parents.”

Margaret Harrison CBE

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HOME-START INTERNATIONAL

This year, through the support of Home-Start UK, 53,907 children will have a better chance of

looking back fondly on their childhood

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AIMS OF HOME-START INTERNATIONAL

• To provide high quality training, information and guidance to existing and

potential Home-Start schemes around the world

• To respond to professionals, organisations and families who seek information to adopt and adapt the Home-Start approach to their own countries

• To work to raise awareness of the value of family support in other areas of the world

• To actively promote Home-Start when appropriate

• To work with countries to develop their own successful funding opportunities

• To monitor the work and progress of Home-Start International and to be sufficiently informed about Home-Start in other countries to plan the future maintenance and mission of the organisation

• To link those who are interested in Home-Start in order to share ideas, information and good practice worldwide.

• To work cost effectively and efficiently.

Home-Start International respects the identity, rights and beliefs of every individual and each of the nations requesting Home-Start.

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INTRODUCING HOME-START IN A NEW COUNTRY

Organisations interested in finding out how Home-Start can help their community begin by contacting Home-Start International. Initially, H-SI provides information and consultation. H-SI will then visit applicant organisations to help identify individuals who can guide the project through its start-up phase. Government, welfare and/or voluntary sector representatives, who may be able to help establish the scheme, will be offered study visits to Home-Start in other countries. We can work with the applicant organisation to: • Identify interested individuals and groups who may wish to participate in the

scheme’s development • Identify and approach local funding sources • Train a voluntary management committee to oversee the establishment of the

scheme • Train paid local organisers to fund-raise, plan and manage annual budgets, recruit

and supervise volunteers, develop links with media and make long-range plans for Home-Start in their community

• Contact agencies that could potentially refer families in need of Home-Start help; these include doctors, schools, social workers and health visitors

H-SI can provide training in all aspects of starting and running a scheme: • management committees • steering committees • budget setting and holding • proposals for funding • advocacy and lobbying • preparing meetings and

seminars • managing people

• planning the year’s work • monitoring and evaluation • chairing meetings • volunteer training • standards and ethics • relevant national law and

international rights • PR and the media

Once a scheme is running, there is often interest from nearby communities. The management committee, sometimes in partnership with H-SI, can assist with the development of new schemes within the country.

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HOME-START INTERNATIONAL

Our volunteers aim to reduce family difficulties While promoting the enjoyment of family life

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My volunteer is a caring lady She brightens me up when I’m feeling crazy, She listens and guides me through my sad days She’s helped me through my tough phase; She really is a very good friend With all my problems she helps to mend. I’ve cried and laughed on days she’s been But it’s nice to know together we team. It’s the best thing that’s happened to me Because we wanted a sincere friend for ME She helps me see things in a different light Even when things have been really tight; I’m glad that she’s from Home-Start And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, Home-Start. (Poem by the young mother with twins in the story that follows)…

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CASE STUDIES 1) – Multiple Births Most people would agree that an extra pair of hands would be of inestimable help in coping with several small babies, especially if there is also a toddler or older children in the family. Inexperienced parents faced with looking after two or more babies can feel totally overwhelmed whilst a mother who knows what to do may be guilt ridden because she is spending so much time on her babies and neglecting her other children. Practical problems are legion. Getting the shopping, especially with three or more babies (the weight and expense of it all), cooking, cleaning, washing, feeding babies and toddlers, getting little sleep—all can become more like a nightmare. Tensions are more likely to develop between over-stressed and overtired parents. Feeling harassed, they have no time for social chit-chat or relaxation. Mothers can become very isolated and depressed, their days and nights taken up with caring for children without respite. Help at an early stage can alleviate much of the stress and save the need for costly professional intervention from health, social and educational services. Home-Start is one of the resources that professionals can call upon to complement their extensive responsibilities for families with multiple births. They find that volunteers are able to supplement help from other services by providing parents and children with practical support, information, transport and equipment; by counselling and reassurance, and by babysitting while mother gets some rest or plays with older children. Home-Start’s Involvement with a multiple birth family over the first three months: A two parent family, with six children, including a set of twins, living in a rented council house, was referred to us. The mother did not have a stable home life in her childhood. Having been put in care often she was worried about her own parenting skills. ‘It’s very difficult to help your own children and love them if like me you did not have that as a child’. On the advice of her social worker she attended a course on child development. She had her first baby when she was nineteen.

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While she now chooses not to seek paid employment, the father is in full-time employment. He is also registered disabled. He works long hours and the mother feels very isolated. She has no family support and feels that neighbours are cold and unfriendly. All the family have health problems including whooping cough in the baby twins, and bedwetting in the nine year old daughter. The parents use the services of their GP, baby clinic, hospital and social services but have great difficulty (expense and access) in reaching the hospital. It is over an hour’s journey away and they have no car. A volunteer was introduced. During the first three months she spent a total of 57 hours with the family, with visits ranging from 3-4.5 hours. Each month the volunteer accompanied the mother to the baby clinic. Sometimes she took the children to school; she took them to the park on an outing and also took them swimming. Taking the children on outings gives the mother some time to herself. Instances of direct support for the mother varied, but steadily increased. Each time the volunteer visited, she played and read to the children, helped with the babies and changed nappies. She also began encouraging parental involvement in children’s play, took toys for the children, and gently introduced some fun activities for the family to do together. Emotional support remained fairly constant and was the most frequent type of support throughout the period. No one can say that without the volunteer’s involvement, this mother would have found it impossible to cope and become a crisis case. It does appear, however, that a ‘dangerous corner’ was passed and that underlying stresses that could militate against the well being of the family were being voiced and confronted. 2) - Special Needs On average 20 % of all children have ‘special needs’ due to physical and/or mental disabilities. These include problems with movement, eating, dressing and washing, incontinence, behaviour and learning difficulties, partial or total sight or hearing loss or genetic disorders like Down’s syndrome. Such conditions may cause minimal stress and family disruption; but severe disabilities like cerebral palsy may require constant supervision. Caring for children with special needs can be exceptionally demanding and emotionally exhausting for parents. Parents find themselves facing unrelenting

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physical, emotional, mental and financial demands on their resources. Financial demands include loss of income through not working, the need to pay extra help, and perhaps for special diet, clothing and equipment. It may be necessary to have expensive alterations to the home and there is always the cost and time involved in transport to hospital or a therapeutic centre. If they have other children, parents may feel guilty because they give so much time and attention to one child. One mother we have helped had three children under 5, the youngest with cerebral palsy. The referrer’s remarks suggested the mother was coping but that she needed transport to hospital. January – Organiser visits, and notes that the older children are a handful and that no child is really getting the attention s/he deserves. The following week a Home-Start volunteer is introduced. She provides transport to hospital, but she also plays with older children, hugs and praises them. She helps with speech therapy and physiotherapy practice, which she found had hitherto been neglected, and tries to bolster mother’s self esteem by praise and by resisting the temptation to take over. February - Volunteer provides transport to hospital. Mother begins to unburden herself about the guilt she feels. Volunteer begins to ‘share wrinkles’ about coping with disabled children with the mother (she has a disabled child herself). She suggests a link with a self-help group. The volunteer also takes in toys for children. She is now trusted to take them out of the house to the park. Mother is getting into a routine of physiotherapy with the children. The volunteer also cares for the children while mother gets some sleep. March – Volunteer provides transport to hospital. She reads to the older children and takes them out so that mother can play with the baby. The volunteer helps with form filling, with washing and ironing so that mother has time to play with her disabled child and with her other children. The mother makes contact with the Self-help Group… 3) – Child parents The most striking common denominator amongst the teenage mothers Home-Start supports is a history of childhood trauma. Most mothers came from residential children’s homes or foster homes or had been in and out of care.

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Others came from families with longstanding problems, including violence, drug and alcohol misuse. Their natural mothers were either dead, had left the family home or had a difficult relationship with their daughters. One teenager was described as a ‘slow learner’; another as immature, with the implication that they may have been victims of undesirable peer pressure or of possible sexual abuse. At referral, their difficulties centred on lack of experience in budgeting, cooking and child care. They tended to feel lonely and that no one cared about them. Special problems included complications in pregnancy, violence and drug abuse, isolation from immediate family, low self-esteem and lack of trust. Children sometimes lacked stimulation and babies were not thriving. Lack of facilities could result in poor hygiene. Home-Start’s response to mothers’ most obvious needs was to provide emotional support and counselling, develop parenting skills and links with community and other resources. Apart from practical help, including transport, volunteers liased with schools and used their knowledge of the law to deal with bureaucracy. They were also sometimes able to bring small groups of mothers together and enable them to draw strength and mutual support from each other. Underlying needs were for training, qualifications and work experience. This involved new friends, role models and someone who would listen. Volunteers recognised some needs not always acknowledged by the mothers. These included sound personal relationships, improved health, knowledge and use of contraception and debt counselling.

What did the volunteers actually do to help teenaged mothers cope? Share/work alongside · introduce new friends · share ‘wrinkles’ · help re: breastfeeding · play with children · accept and show affection · help budget · accompany in court cases · hug children · praise mother · find warm clothing for children · provide nursery equipment · introduce to young mums group · liase with school · help re: house exchange · offer advice re: educational psychologist · encourage communication between mother and child · listen · take on outings in the park · attend case conference · organise beach outing · bring toys · share cooking skills · help with shopping · take to drop-in · read to children · accompany to clinic ·

WHATEVER IS NEEDED,

HOME-START VOLUNTEERS ARE THERE TO HELP!

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HOME-START INTERNATIONAL

Home-Start is dedicated to providing Friendship and support to families

with small children. Our approach is non-judgemental and is based on trust.

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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The State Parties have agreed the convention…

Recalling that, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance, Convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community, Recognising that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding, Recognising the importance of international co-operation for improving the living conditions of children in every country, in particular in the developing countries…

(Preamble to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989)

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THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees meet regularly to ensure that Home-Start International fulfils its obligations as stated in the Deed of Trust.

• The Baroness Brigstocke, Chairman CBE • Judith Colegate, Vice Chairman • Sir Frank Lampl, Vice President • Benedict Jenks, Honorary Treasurer • Chris King, Honorary Secretary

• Ginny Evans • Wendy Rose • Dr Sheila Shinman • The Lord Wright of Richmond

GCMG

Communications Manager

Assistant to the

Director

Training Manager

International Advisory Group

Director

Board of Trustees

Home-Start International’s Director Tanya Barron

The Director has worked for over thirteen years in Central and Eastern Europe on

projects with NGOs and local authorities concerning women and children. In addition, the Director Chaired the UNICEF NGO Committee for Central and Eastern

Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States for five years. The Director has also carried out research working with women in Central and Eastern Europe to identify reasons for the placement of children in institutional care (St Anthony’s College,

Oxford, 1996-1997).

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SUGGESTED FURTHER READING:

There have been a number of research projects on Home-Start. These include:

Frost, N., Johnson, L., Stein, M. and Wallis, L. (1996): Negotiated Friendship: Home-Start and the Delivery of Family Support Leicester: Home-start UK. Kirkaldy, A. and Crispin, A. (1999): Home-Start in Scotland: An Evaluation. Dunfermline: Home-Start UK. Shinman, S. (1994): Family Album: Snapshots of Home-Start in Words and Pictures. Leicester: Home-Start UK. . Shinman. S. (1996): Family Health and Home-Start: for Commissioners and Purchasers of Family Support Services. Leicester: Home-Start UK. van der Eyken, W. (1990): Home-start: A Four Year Evaluation. Leicester: Home-Start Consultancy. van Dijke, A. and Terpstra, L. (1999): Home-Start Between Childhood and Maturity. Utrecht: NIZW. Home-Start International. (2002) Tackling Social Exclusion in Families with Young Children.

(Most of these publications are available from Home-Start International).

°°°°°°°°°°

“It has been a pleasure to meet families, volunteers and workers… and hear about the support and friendship they have received from Home-Start. This informal, caring support can strengthen family life and bring a brighter future for many parents and their children, who, after all, are tomorrow’s parents.”

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES

December, 1993

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HOME–START INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE

In 1999, representatives of all Home-Start countries agreed to this statement of the aims, methods and organisation used by Home-Start around the world.

Home-Start International (H-SI) is an organisation in which volunteers offer regular support, friendship and practical help to families with young children, primarily in their own homes, helping to prevent family crisis and breakdown.

1. Home–Start works with families who are experiencing a wide range of difficulties and who have

at least one child of pre-school age. These families are offered emotional and practical, non-financial support in their homes by volunteers who visit, when possible, for as long as is necessary.

2. Home-Start is committed to the rights of the individual and recognition of the diversity within

families. Home-Start respects the special cultural, racial, ethnic and religious traditions that make each family distinct and is sensitive to gender issues and people with special needs.

3. Each Home-Start scheme needs to work towards the increased confidence and independence of

the family by: • offering support, friendship and practical help to families with at least one child under school-age

• primarily meeting families in their homes, where their difficulties exist and where the dignity and

identity of each individual can be respected and protected • reassuring parents that challenges in bringing up children are not unusual and emphasising the

pleasures of family life

• developing a relationship with the family in which the time and experiences can be shared and understanding can be developed; the approach is flexible to take account of different needs

• encouraging the parents’ strengths and emotional and physical well-being for the ultimate benefit

of their own children

• encouraging families to widen their network of relationships and to use effectively the support and services available within the community

4. Each Home-Start scheme has a special, local support structure of people who are committed to

the Home-Start ethos and who may take responsibility for employment and implementation issues. They ensure that appropriate links are developed with other agencies involved in work with young families within the community. In some countries there are groups, who are unpaid, and called Management Committees or Trustees. No representative of a funding agency should chair any committee that is there to support the Home-Start scheme.

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5. Normally at least one paid Organiser/Coordinator is employed who has relevant training and

experience, and whose duties include: • the administration of Home-Start to ensure conformity with the International Statement of

Principles and Practice • the recruitment, preparation and support of volunteers • liaison with other agencies working with families with young children • The initial visit to each family. Careful attention is paid to matching volunteers’ skills and

experience to the needs of families • identifying, with the family and the volunteer, when the need for support is coming to an end and

providing any necessary follow-up and evaluation 6. Organisers and volunteers are usually parents themselves or have had parenting experience.

Volunteers are supported by Home-Start Organisers and other Home-Start volunteers and where appropriate by professional workers associated with the family.

7. All volunteers attend an initial course of preparation and receive additional information and

support to meet needs that develop in the course of their work with Home-Start. 8. The range of referrals or self-referrals accepted is not limited, except where the resources

available to Home-Start are not adequate to meet the number or complexity of difficulties experienced by the families.

9. All information about parents and families is confidential, to be discussed only as

necessary with the Organiser in support of the volunteer and to assist the family. Any disclosure of the confidential information to any other person may be undertaken only with the express permission of the parents for the purpose of assisting the family, except where it is necessary for the protection of a child when information shall be shared with the appropriate authority.

10. All National Home-Start organisations use the symbol of friendship and the name ‘Home-Start’ as

an identifying logo, often with the addition of a national name or other appropriate word in the national language.

11. All National Home-Start organisations retain links with Home-Start International, and

share their training materials, research and information with Home-Start in other countries, for the ultimate benefit of families.

• Home-Start International has the responsibility to coordinate and facilitate the development of

Home-Start in new countries, and therefore all new countries with Home-Start enquiries will be referred to Home-Start International.

• Home-Start International will work to match the needs of new countries with expertise in

existing Home-Start countries and will disseminate training material information and guidance.

ALL HOME-START ORGANISATIONS AND SCHEMES AROUND THE WORLD ARE COMMITTED TO THIS STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE. Budapest 20.04.2002

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WHERE TO FIND HOME-START Australia Marilyn Barnes Home-Start National (Australia) Inc. P O Box 29 BROADMEADOW 2292 Australia Tel: +61 (0)2 4961 1861 +61 (0)2 4961 2121 Fax: +61 (0)2 4961 1892 email: home-startnational@hunterlink.net.au Canada Mary Claude Richer Premiers Pas/Home-Start Saint-Lambert 6 Rue St-Denis Saint-Lambert, Québec Canada J4P 2G2

Tel: +1 450 923 4138 Fax: +1 450 923 9675 email: premiers-pas@rocler.qc.ca Brenda Laroque Une Affaire de Famille/Home-Start Quebec 16 Cross St. Box 54 Ormstown, Québec

Canada JO5 1KO Tel: +1 450 264 5558 ext.225 Fax: +1 450 829 4344 email: gramrock@rocler.qc.ca Lucie Pelletier Premiers Pas/ Home-Start, Longueuil 1230, rue Green Longueuil, Québec Canada J4K 4Z5

Tel: +1 450 646 3913 Fax: +1 450 677 3377 email: premiers_pas@hotmail.com

Marie-Josée Saint-Aubin

Premiers Pas/ Home-Start, Chambly 856 Grand Boulevard, Chambly, Québec Canada J3L 1V9

Tel: +1 450 447 9969 Fax: +1 450 447 9719 email: carrfam.richelieu@qc.aira.com Dee Monroe Home-Start Calgary 351, 45th Avenue SW Calgary Alberta Canada T25 1B3 Tel: +1 403 270 8699 email: monroedee@hotmail.com Greece Anastasia Valsamopoulou Home-Start Kalamarias Terma Foinika Kalamaria, 55134 Thessaloniki Greece Tel: +30 2310 48 90 20 Fax: +30 2310 48 90 20 email: anasvasi@otenet.gr Hungary Dr. Ágota Benkő

Otthon Segítünk Alapítvány (Home-Start Hungary) H-1114 Budapest Bartók Béla út 37. Hungary Tel: +36 1 365 1436 Fax: +36 1 209 3430 email: otthonsegitunk@webdream.hu

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Latvia Normunds Aldzers Home-Start Latvia Berzu iela 10 Liepaja Latvia LV 3401 Tel: +371 9268336 +371 3488724 Fax: +371 3427652 (w) +371 3488724 (h) email: normunds@kurzeme.info Republic of Ireland Anna Lynch Acting National Director Home-Start Ireland Enterprise Centre 17 Rathfarnham Road Terenure Dublin 6W Tel: +353 01 4903237 Fax: +353 01 4903238 email: homestartireland@eircom.net The Netherlands Marijke M. Galama (Director) Titia Kerkkamp (Contact, International Support) Cora van Rij (Contact, Support of Policy and Practice Guide in the Netherlands) Home-Start landelijk steunpunt National Support Centre P.O Box 71 1000 AB Amsterdam Tel: +31 (0) 20 523 1100 Fax: +31 (0) 20 622 7367 email: m.galama@lb.humanitas.nl fam.Kerkkamp@planet.nl c.vanrij@lb.humanitas.nl

Norway Wenche Heimholt Isachsen Home-Start Familiekontakten Norway PO Box 7169 Majorstua 0307 Oslo Norway Tel +47 23 19 79 90 Fax +47 23 19 79 91 email: homestart.norge@powertech.no Russia Marina Gulina Home-Start (Russia) Postal Address: Lilia Alfimova Flat21 B.21 Embankment Universitetskaya 199034 Russia Official Address: D.3 Yablochkova Ulitsa St. Petersburg Russia Tel: +7 (812) 323 64 02 email: alfimov@comset.net Sofia Vysokova Home-Start Ekaterinburg Flat 59 b.47 Industrie 620042 ul. Ekaterinburg Russia Tel: +7 3432 700136 Czech Republic Alžběta Klégrovά Host Home-Start Czech Republic

Hviezdoslavova 507 Prague 4 – Hάje 140 00 Czech Republic

Tel: +420 777801404* (best number) +420 272 916736 email: alzbeta.klegrova@seznam.cz

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South Africa Anne Hart Home-Start East Rand PO Box 13057 Northmead 1511 Gauteng South Africa Tel: +27 11 849 7031 Fax: +27 11 425 5518 email: home-start@nfmc.org.za Malta Norbert Cilia Home-Start Cottonera/Kalkara 80 Flat 2 St Monica Street G’Mangia Malta Tel: +356 2124 7058 Fax: +356 2125 2668 email: ncilia@appogg.org Uganda Charles Mugasa Home-Start Uganda National Family Support Resource Center 278 Mawanda Road – Mulago 111 PO Box 03 Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 41 541371 Fax: +256 41 342633/233501/541371 email: home_startuganda@yahoo.com Israel Hula Schlezinger National Co-ordinator (KEN) Home-Start Israel Shimkin Street, 27 Haifa 34750 Tel: +972 4862 3272 Fax: +972 4864 2423 email: hula-schlezinger@yahoo.com

Lithuania Regina Shevelkaitiene “Vaikystes pradzia-namai”, Lietuva Home-Start Lithuania Debreceno 3 Klaipeda 5810 Lithuania Tel: +370 686 52050 email: gausiu.seimu@centras.lt Kenya Rev.Marksen W. Masinde Home-Start Kenya PO Box 3787 Kitale Kenya Tel: +254 721451070 email: marksenwafula@yahoo.com USA Linda A. Kosko Home-Start Connecticut c/o Danbury Children First 83 West Street Danbury, CT 06810 USA Tel: +1 203 797 8088 Fax: +1 203 792 7626 email: Lindak@danburychildrenfirst.org UK Professor Brian Waller Director Home-Start Central Office 2 Salisbury Road Leicester LE1 7QR Tel: +44 (0) 116 233 9955 Fax: +44 (0) 116 233 0232 email: info@home-start.org.uk Web: www.home-start.org.uk

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For further information about Home-Start International

and Home-Start schemes in participating countries,

please visit our Website…

www.home-start-int.org

Home-Start International 2nd Floor

6 Market Place London

W1W 8AF United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)20 7631 4364 Tel: +44 (0)20 7631 4358

email: tanya@home-start-int.org