An introduction to Home Start
About Home-Start Tamworth
Home-Start Tamworth recruits and trains volunteers from around the Tamworth area of Staffordshire, then carefully matches the volunteer with an appropriate family. All of the families we support must have at least one child under five. The volunteer visits the family in their own home once a week.
Families tell us what a huge difference it makes to their lives to have that support at a time of need, often describing our volunteers as “a ray of sunshine” or a “life-line”. The best part of our work is to see the children start to thrive again as the volunteer helps the parents work through their difficulties.
We also run child and family support groups for any family who would benefit from a supportive environment on a weekly basis.
Home-Start Tamworth is a local charity which was set up in 2000 in response to an identified need for a support service for Tamworth families that was free at the point of access, completely independent and available to all.
Home-Start Tamworth is affiliated to the national organisation, Home-Start UK, but we are autonomous and responsible for our own management and our own funding. Home-Start UK provides advice and support through a regional consultant together with a stringent Quality Assurance review process to ensure the scheme operates effectively.
The charity is run by a Management Committee who are responsible for governance and setting the direction of the scheme and there are 10 members of staff, together with a network of 50 trained volunteers who carry out the home-visiting parent support service.
We also offer a debt and benefit advice service which is available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please contact us on 01827 62400 to book an appointment with Martin.
Our charity shop on King Street is perfect for good value, quality items that are much needed, such as baby and children’s clothing, toys, books and equipment, with the money from the shop also being fed back in to helping families in need.
Our Trustees
The Trustees of Home-Start Tamworth are:
Edna Schafer-Hughes (Chair)
Keith Goldsworthy (Treasurer)
Jennifer Hillerby
Sue Constable
Malcolm Arrowsmith
Michaela Parfitt
Wendy Biddle