Volunteer for
Home-Start Oxford
By volunteering just a few hours each week you can transform the lives of young children and their parents in your community.
Volunteer update!
Our next volunteer training course is in September. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with Home-Start Oxford please fill in our Expression of Interest Form by clicking the link below and we’ll be in touch! You can also email us on admin@homestartoxford.org.uk or call us on 01865 649003.
Be a Home-Start volunteer
Volunteering with us can change lives – including your own.
You could become part of our team of trained, supportive and compassionate volunteers who are at the core of the support we provide. Our volunteers share an unshakeable commitment to the welfare of the families they support and remind families that they matter.
When parents can’t cope, children suffer – the impact of which can last a lifetime. With a little support from a well-matched volunteer, mums and dads can become the parents they’ve always wanted to be, and families can thrive.
Our home-visiting volunteers…
Our home-visiting volunteers are each matched with a family and provide 2-3 hours of support once a week. The focus of this support is relationship-building within the whole family unit – playing with the children while you get to know their mum or dad. They might need help in getting out of the house, accessing support or just a friendly person to talk about their worries with.
It is not about babysitting or cleaning up the house, it’s about being by that parent’s side and helping them overcome the challenges they face.
Our group volunteers….
Our peer support groups are also a fundamental part of our support, and so we also welcome people who would like to volunteer at our groups. We currently have some volunteers who provide support to a family and at groups, and others who choose to help at groups only. We offer a range of groups, from parent and toddler stay and play groups, to our new Baby Book Club and a SEN group. You can find out more about our groups here.
Please note that our home-visiting and group volunteering opportunities take place weekdays during the day.
Please get in touch if you would like to become a Home-Start Oxford volunteer!
What it takes to be a Home-Start Volunteer
In the same way that there is no typical ‘Home-Start family’, there is no typical ‘Home-Start volunteer’ either. Our families are individual and diverse and having a diverse range of volunteers helps us to pair the two effectively.
- We welcome volunteers of all ages and from all sections of the community.
- No special qualifications are necessary, but volunteers are usually parents or grandparents with a love of people, and an interest in, and experience of, young children and family life.
- For our home-visiting volunteers we ask that you commit to a free friendly volunteer preparation course, part-time, usually over 5 weeks (for group volunteers the initial training is a one-off session).
- We will offer you regular training and development workshops.
- You will have back up, and ongoing support in the form of regular one-to-one catch ups with your volunteer coordinator.
- We will ask you to provide references and information about yourself, undergo a DBS check and commit to confidentiality. This is all part of our commitment to practising ‘safer recruitment’ and ensuring that all of our volunteers are suitable to work with families.
There are 168 hours in the week. Could you spare 2-3?
Do you have what it takes to be a Home-Start volunteer? Are you keen to help parents and children in your community? Please complete the Expression of Interest form below.
Training to be a Home-Start Oxford volunteer
Our volunteer preparation course covers topics such as child development, mental health, cultural awareness, safeguarding, communication skills and confidentiality. Courses are usually held twice a year in Oxford or West Oxfordshire, at days and times to suit the group attending. During the preparation course you will have the chance to develop your own skills and share your experiences.
For some, volunteering with Home-Start is a springboard into a career in the voluntary sector, social work or counselling.
After the preparation course we ask you to make a regular commitment to visit a family, or help at our groups, for 2-3 hours each week (this can be bi-weekly for group volunteers).
Volunteer workshops are held at regular intervals to provide an opportunity for mutual support, ongoing training and discussion on relevant issues. We also hold regular coffee mornings where you can meet other volunteers.
What volunteers say
The advice, tips, and real-life scenarios were all confidence-building and the facilitators’ passion for the organisation was inspiring – as was the existing volunteer who came to talk to us, sharing her experience. I am convinced this is a very worthwhile charity doing amazing work to support families.
(a volunteer just finishing the preparation course)
Home-Start has been very responsive to the increase in more complex needs they’ve seen, and I’ve been offered a range of ongoing training – such as Mental Health First Aid.
(a home-visiting volunteer)
I feel well-prepared and ready to start supporting a family and am confident that there is plenty of support and advice on hand to help me in my role.
(a volunteer after completing the preparation course)
I love her company – she’s given as much back to me as I’ve given to her. We are both able to chat and draw emotional support from one another. I know she values that she can be herself during the time we spend together and doesn’t have to worry about managing anyone else’s emotions in relation to her illness.
(a home-visiting volunteer)
Other ways to volunteer for Home-Start
We are always very pleased to welcome voluntary support and if you don’t think that becoming a support volunteer is right for you, then there are lots of other ways in which you can help us, such as with fundraising or administration. Please get in touch and we can have a chat about how you can get involved.
Become a Home-Start Volunteer Today
Home-Start’s team of trained volunteers make sure a child’s early years count. By volunteering just a few hours each week you can transform the lives of young children and their parents in your community.