t: 01245 847410.
w: www.home-startessex.org.uk
e: info@home-startessex.org.uk
Opening hours: 09.00-17.00 M-F
• General Information - Home-Start Essex is a leading family support charity working across Essex to build the confidence and skills of parents/carers to achieve healthy and positive outcomes for children. We work with families with at least one child under the age of five, and offer some events for families with children up the age of 8yrs. We are early years specialists, and work closely with the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service.
• Home-Visiting – this is face to face support from a volunteer who will visit you in your own home for 2 hours per week, offering practical and emotional support.
• Family Groups – These run once a week term time only. To support families who want to meet other parents, build connections and gain peer support from others. All sessions offer learn through play activities for under 5s, and help parents to get their children school ready. With professionally trained volunteers on hand, parents are offered a safe space to share their experiences.
• Wellbeing - These are a therapeutic led programme for parents experiencing mental health difficulties like anxiety, stress or depression. Each week, be introduced to a safe space to meet, share and support each other. The groups aim to support parents’ wellbeing and mental health through providing relaxation and stress management techniques. All groups are facilitated by a trained worker and include self-care activities, personal safety and self-esteem building. Places are limited to ensure everyone can join in and connect. These are run as a course of 6 sessions (1 a week).
• Telephone Befriending – We recognise and understand that all some families need is to know someone is at the end of the phone (or video call), to provide emotinal support and practical advice. Our professionally trained volunteers offer weekly phone or video calls, providing friendship, guidance and a listening ear to help a family through a difficult time.
• Behaviour support - We offer six, 1:1 online behaviour support sessions or a six-week online group program with our behaviour specialist who can provide extra support with parenting and managing children’s behaviour.