A Renfrewshire-based charity is looking to make an impact this year as they seek to help provide support to families.
Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde look to give backing to families, who may be struggling due to a number of reasons, by providing a volunteer that visits families at least once a week.
People can self-refer themselves to the charity if they feel they need assistance, as well as being referred through their GP or health visitors.
The volunteers who help at the charity are trained to be as supportive as possible by being there to listen to those who need them, and helping build the confidence of new parents and families.
Founded in the 1970s, the charity has 30 hubs across Scotland that look to help families get through hard times, with the Renfrewshire hub alone helping just under 100 families, as referrals continuing to rise.
Speaking about how vital the volunteers are to Home-Start and the way they are picked to be with a family, Carol Gemmell talks about how it helps build that bond between the charity and the family.
Carol also talks about the importance of the charity helping support new parents as it can be a daunting experience.
She said: “The work that the volunteers do here at Home-Start is so crucial as they are helping families grow after what can be a traumatic experience, and sometimes a very hard time for many.
“The people who are picked to be with a family is important as they will be with that family for normally around six months to a year, which is normal for the people to go through the journey here at Home-Start.
“We aim to get people back into their normal routine by just being there and having that person that someone can talk to, as lots of people don’t have a person they can turn to to discuss parenthood or ask questions.
“It is sometimes something as simple as encouraging a mother/father to tackle a simple bus journey with their child, because that can be a daunting experience. Our volunteers aim to build up their confidence to do things such as that, or even help look after the children whilst they clean their home.”
“An example of this was today that CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) spoke to our parent group class and found out some of the parents were missing out on £20 a week from child support. That is massive to people and we always look to help out where we can.”
To operate, the charity relies on funding to be granted to them as they do not generate any of their own income. In the past, they have had people raise money through events such as 5k challenges, climbing expeditions and even getting funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Those who have all benefited from the support the charity have all said that the biggest thing was attending the first class as they didn’t know what to expect or want to share anything with anybody.
However, after being supported by volunteers at the charity and not forced to share anything unless they want to, many have progressed beyond stages that they ever expected.
Courtney Andrews, 23, who attends some of the groups at the charity, said the biggest change for her was her confidence – as well as having someone always there for her if she needed them.
Courtney said: “Coming to classes like this was something I never imagined I could do. I feel so much happier now than I did before I came as I am around people who share stories similar to me and ask questions that I have.
“It is also important having the volunteer who comes out every week as I have built a great relationship with them.”
Fellow group attendee, Amtal Mateen, who moved up from London to be with her partner, said that the charity has not only helped with her children, but also settle into the area as she didn’t know anyone.
Amatal said: “I was introduced by my health visitor as they thought I would benfit from the services Home-Start provide and it was the best decision I ever made coming along.
“Moving up from London to Paisley to be with my partner was so different, as he was from Paisley.
“The difference in my surroundings was scary as it I was used to having people always around me. But sometimes, when my partner went to work, I would be left in the house by myself, and that was daunting to me.
“The volunteer who comes out to see my family is so much more than a friend as I trust them with my children and the help they have given has been amazing.
“The classes aren’t only for us as they put on a class for children on Wednesday and it helps encourage the children to socialise with other children, whilst parents get to chat, too.”
The charity has groups on almost every day of the week and are on the lookout for people to get involved by volunteering.
If you are interested in helping the charity look out for families in the area, you can register your interest by emailing the following address Hello@HRSI.org.uk or call the Home-Start office on 0141 8895272.
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