Translations are computer generated
Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2021-22
Welcome to our 34th Annual Report
Translations are computer generated
Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2021-22
Welcome to our 34th Annual Report
Our work in numbers
(*note statistics relate to families receiving 1:1 support)
“You have given me the opportunity to meet a range of mums and make more local connections. In turn I have recommended the group to other mums I know have felt isolated. It’s a really inclusive environment.”
A mum who attended groups run by Home-Start Oxford
Coming out of Covid
Although Covid restrictions eased and then ended in Spring-Summer 2021, the true impact of the pandemic for babies, toddlers and parents in lockdown, has only truly come to light during this financial year.
We have seen:
- Widespread anxiety and entrenched isolation
- Families needing our support for longer
- A need for more pro-active work to reach families worst affected by Covid, including black, Asian and other families of diverse ethnicity, single parents and low-income families.
- Families who were referred to our small supportive ‘by invitation’ groups struggle to leave the ‘safe space’ of home to attend.
In response, we have started to offer outreach, in addition to 1:1 home-based support and groups.
We are keeping in touch with calls, texts and doorstep visits, to build the trust and a sense of support to families who are particularly isolated.
Trends in family support
There were some notable changes this year, in who we supported and how they reached us. These trends tie in with the end of Covid restrictions and highlight the enduring impact of the pandemic for families with babies and pre-school children.
In particular, we have seen:
- Marked drop in referrals from Health Visitors (down from 41% to 24%) reflecting pressures in Health Visiting
- Big increase in self-referrals (up from 14 – 32%) reflecting high need, direct promotion, and effectiveness of our new simple ‘Get Help’ button online
- A sharp rise in the number of lone parent families supported (up from 26 – 46%). This reflects the disproportionate impact of Covid on lone parents and our increased reach
- We consistently support more families from diverse ethnic backgrounds, than is the average for our local population. This year 45% of families supported 1:1 across the City, Central and West Oxfordshire were not white British (compared to 36% for the population of Oxford City), with a wide range of ethnicities within this category.
“I’ve not left the house with my kids in 8 months. I nearly cancelled and I’m so grateful I didn’t. I felt totally normal here and not judged. I just felt the same as everyone else. It’s not just made me happy it’s changed my life. Sometimes just getting dressed is hard but doing this made me love being a mum again.”
A mum who attended our groups
Hearing from the families themselves:
It was the worst time in our lives
“When I moved to the area I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have any friends or family nearby and English isn’t my first language so it made everything so difficult. I felt isolated. We have two children and my youngest really wasn’t sleeping well and had separation anxiety and my relationship with my partner was getting difficult. I was struggling with everything.
Then I was referred to Home-Start Oxford. At the time the four of us were living in a single room in a house of multiple occupancy and there was often damp and mold. Then our landlord issued an eviction notice and as the other tenants moved out we were forced to take on the whole rent. Our bills were huge and we needed to pay them but my partner had just lost some of his work hours. I was scared and didn’t have any confidence. I didn’t know what to do. I kept thinking we could be homeless any time and I was in a really bad place.
Home-Start matched me with Aline, one of their family support workers. It was such a relief. I was finally able to talk to someone about what was going on and how I was feeling. Aline showed me what services I should be contacting and helped me apply. We got access to food banks and fuel vouchers and signed up for things like the doctors and applied for a council house.
We got offered a tenancy for our own house this year. Moving was the moment I felt things were really changing for us. It’s changed everything. Because of the support I’ve had I am much better now. I know I can do things for myself. I know where to go for help and what to do. I couldn’t have imagined any of this a year ago. Everything was so hard. I thought it would take forever to get out of it all.
The kids are more relaxed and confident now and my youngest is becoming more independent and is sleeping much better. We do things together and enjoy it. Once, Aline managed to get us some tickets to go to the circus. The kids have never been to something like that and they were just amazed by it all. My partner and I have got married too.
Home-Start helped me at the worst time in our lives. I was lost and didn’t know what to do. They’ve helped me in every way – emotionally, financially, through 1:1 support and through the parent and toddler groups I take my youngest too. We’re all happier because of it.”
Hearing from the families themselves:
She’s been like my guardian angel
“My past relationships haven’t been good. I was on my own for a long while before I got with my youngest’s dad, but it ended in bad violence. He hasn’t been around since. I was in a bit of a state back then, I had my three girls and I really didn’t know what to do. A school mum told me about the baby group Home-Start was running. I thought it would help to meet people but when I went there, I just broke down. It was far too overwhelming. I was experiencing anxiety and depression, so Home-Start suggested I speak to Lisa who provided me with some 1:1 support.
Lisa kept coming out to see me and helping me out with different stuff. Then I got connected with one of the Home-Start volunteers, Susan. That’s been really good. She’s been so supportive, and we’ve built up a great relationship. I haven’t got any family to support me – my mum died and I haven’t seen my dad since I was young. So it’s been nice to have someone to fall back on, someone on my side who can help me build up my confidence.
Then there’s the practical stuff. I’ve had a big problem with my gas and electric. The kids were freezing and I couldn’t even cook them dinner. Susan’s really helped me with sorting that out. She helped me with citizen’s advice too when I had a bit of a crisis situation and helped me get funding for a new oven – it’s stopped me feeling totally overwhelmed. Susan’s helped me with my middle daughter too. She’s got really bad confidence issues. Susan’s helped me get her into clubs and stuff like theatre and dance, which I can’t afford to pay for. That’s really helping her. She’s been like my guardian angel really.
I’ve been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder which means I just can’t deal with certain situations. I’ve put myself in hospital through overdoses. I used to feel like I had nothing, that I was a rubbish mum. I haven’t done that since I’ve been with Home-Start. Knowing I’ve had someone looking out for me has stopped me. Sometimes I’ve thought ‘Oh god I just can’t cope with this situation’ but then I’ve had my Home-Start people to fall back on. I’ve phoned them and they’ve said ‘Look, it’s OK, I’m here’ sort of thing.
The support I’ve had from Home-Start has built up my confidence a hell of a lot. I wouldn’t have been able to speak like this before. It’s changed me so much. I’ve still got a way to go, but I now value myself much more as a person and as a mum.”
Growing Minds
Our Growing Minds partnership project continues to grow from strength to strength. Based in Littlemore, 230 families have signed up so far and our role ensures we have contact with them all.
We provide weekly 1:1 support to families who need it, helping them in the home and enabling them to get out and about, with the opportunity to attend ‘Nature Tots’ run in partnership with John Henry Newman Primary. We also co-deliver a weekly Stay and Play group alongside Peeple, which runs all year round. We continue to work with each family to build confidence and create a safe space for them to share their struggles. As a result, families are attending our free activities together and accessing play and support through the Peep Learning Together activities, often for the first time.
We started our summer programme of events which included a Colour Run, a Teddy Bear’s picnic, a BBQ and sessions at Oxford City Farm.
Through Growing Minds we are reaching families who are facing multiple challenges. We are helping those with high levels of anxiety, those who are awaiting child and adult mental health and special educational needs referrals, as well those dealing with housing and financial pressures.
We provide practical support to help alleviate these pressures, linking families with advice services and helping them with form filling. In addition, we have joined forces with the Oxford Food Hub, to create healthy food bags with a recipe suggestion that families can take home with them after our Stay and Play sessions. This has been a great way of helping our families affected by the current cost of living crisis.
“Thank you very much for organising the toddler sessions which are absolutely loved by me and my little one. Also, they are absolutely free. These sessions definitely take my mind off daily worries of life and are an amazing way to interact with other mums and get to know their feelings and struggles with motherhood. My little one looks forward to having so many options and different toys to play with. It has really helped in his development, specially him being a covid baby, he really needed to interact with the world outside.”
A mum who attended Growing Minds group sessions
Other highlights
The ‘Heart of Home-Start’
Our volunteers continue to be the heart of Home-Start Oxford. Without their service we simply couldn’t operate. We are so very grateful for all their hard work.
During 2021-22 we recruited more volunteers and provided a series of training sessions including Safeguarding and Perinatal and Infant Mental Health. It also included our new Winter Energy Advice Training. This new session was so well received that it was later shared with the whole Home-Start Network.
We are now planning our next full prep course for 2023 and we can’t wait to meet our new volunteers there.
Mum’s Mindful Haven
We were thrilled to be able to recruit to a new post of Inclusion Coordinator and hired Suffia Hussain in November 2021. Suffia has created the Mum’s Mindful Haven group, as a small, nurturing space for mums, babies and toddlers in Blackbird Leys. We are delighted to be developing our Oxford group programme in this way, as we have in Witney.
Mum’s Mindful Haven provides a creative space for mums to indulge in simple craft activities. The aim is to enable them to be with others, unleash their creative potential and provide an opportunity for them to discuss any issues they may be experiencing or wish to share. It’s a little bit of self-care time and is a group that is enjoyed by all who attend.
“It’s so nice to be able to talk about these issues that have been isolating me for years. You’re so understanding”
A mum who attends Mum’s Mindful Haven
Summer Programmes
Realising that parents often struggle to find groups that are open throughout the summer period, we were thrilled to run a summer long campaign of free activities. From buggy walks to picnics, our local families were able to continue to socialise and keep the little ones entertained.
Oxfordshire Early Years Network
We continued to coordinate the Oxfordshire Early Years Network, which we created in 2020 with partner charity Viva Doorsteps. Through the network we’ve provided peer support and a platform to share expertise across voluntary, community and faith groups. The network has 150+ members and has helped us amplify the needs of families in the earliest years, to the Local Authority and other key players.
OPA Play Days
We were once again delighted to be involved with the Oxfordshire Play Association (OPA) Play Days. The organisation champions the rights of all children to have access to high quality play opportunities, something that we are keen to support. We had so much fun meeting all the families at events in Rose Hill, Witney, Barton and the Leys.
“This is a saviour for me’”
A mum who attended our summer programme
Finance
- Reduction in total income from 2020-21 (-15%), mainly due to the end of a 3-year National Lottery grant to the Home-Start Oxfordshire Consortium. Despite a 5% increase in expenses, a surplus of £40,000 was generated, leaving unrestricted year-end reserves at 94% of expenses
- Following Covid-related delays in 20-21, and in line with our strategy, we increased our staff resources in 21-22 to enable the delivery of new projects post-Covid. The related increased costs will emerge in 2022-23
- We continue to be faced with the challenge of sustaining a high level of income to ensure we are able to meet the continually growing needs of families, which has been heightened by the pandemic. The increasingly threatening cost inflationary pressures are also having negative effects on families’ stress as well as on our own expenses.
- Our unrestricted year-end reserves are strong at 94% of the year’s expenses which will provide some security against expected future financial uncertainty. However, we are anticipating an increase in expenses as we ‘return to normal’ and are experiencing greater competition for funds as community needs continue to grow. We anticipate drawing on reserves in 2022-3.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
Strategy Update
At the start of 2020 we launched an ambitious three year plan to fulfil unmet needs in our community, built around four key planks;
- Expand our service
- Increase specialist support
- Build a more diverse and inter-connected community
- Increase our profile
We have expanded our reach from 194 to 301 families per year, over three years. We have enhanced the quality and richness of our support in so many way – bringing strategies to support children’s learning and development, parenting confidence, and a focus on perinatal and infant mental health into our support. We’ve fostered new partner relationships, to link isolated families with opportunities to access nature, food, culture and physical activity, in their communities.
We gain huge energy and pride from seeing how the ‘virtuous circle’ we aimed for, in creating an ‘interconnected community’ is coming to fruition. We see how creating a safe space to talk about family struggles has empowered parents to provide peer support to others and look for ways to ‘give back’ by sharing their stories and fundraising.
Employing our Inclusion Coordinator, starting Mum’s Mindful Haven, focus groups and fundraising for dedicated support for Dads, were all ways in which we progressed our goals on equality, diversity and inclusion this year. This will be a key focus for the next phase.
However, demand has risen too – from 3 x our capacity in 2019, to 5 x capacity in 2022.
There is no greater motivator as we look to the next phase of our strategy, for 2023 and beyond.
Looking ahead
Ensuring stability of our service will be the focus in the volatile period ahead, seeking every opportunity to expand our valued 1:1 support by expert trained volunteers, in particular.
We will continue to support local families using our preventative, early intervention approach, in order to make sure that all parents have the support that they need to give their children the best start in life.
We will be there for parents when they need us most – because childhood can’t wait.
Thank you
We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all our volunteers.
They are at the heart of our service and we cannot praise them highly enough.
Heartfelt thanks to the many churches and schools, trusts and foundations, Oxford colleges and companies, individuals and anonymous donors who have supported us during the year.
Follow this link to view the Annual Report for the period 2020-21
With thanks to our wonderful supporters, including...
