Referrals

Families accepting the offer of a Home-Start volunteer are usually referred by Health Visitors and Social Workers. Other referrals come from various workers in the field of health care (e.g. midwives, paediatricians, child and family therapists), and from other voluntary organisations, such as Parenting 2000, Sefton Women and Children’s Aid, Light for Life or playgroups. Referrals are also made by counselling services, and churches. Increasingly, families themselves are asking Home-Start for a volunteer. Anyone can make a referral to Home-Start, having first obtained the permission of the family.

What happens next?
When a referral is received a co-ordinator visits the family at home to find out what the difficulties are. The most suitable volunteer is then introduced to the family to offer support, friendship and practical help tailored to the needs of the family. The co-ordinator remains in contact throughout to review the progress being made.

For how long is Home-Start usually involved?
Some families will need to be visited for only a few months, whilst others will need support for much longer. As long as there is a need and at least one child is under five we are happy to be involved.

What about confidentiality?
It is most important that a family can rely on having privacy and respect. A volunteer will not divulge anything that a family discusses on a personal level to anyone except possibly the co-ordinator (during the volunteer’s one-to-one supervision). Only if there is concern about the welfare of the children in the family, and after discussion with the co-ordinator, would confidentiality ever be breached.

Health

• Ill health
• Disability or special needs
• Postnatal illness
• New babies
• Parenting advice
• Children’s behavioural problems
• Coping with twins, triplets or several pre-school children
• Sleeping/feeding problems
• Parental stress

Social Care

• Helping parents to nurture their children
• Providing effective role models
• Safeguarding children’s welfare
• Relationship problems
• First time or young parents
• Lone parents

Who Can Refer

• Pre-schools
• Schools
• Churches
• Friends and neighbours
• Mental health services
• Mental health services
• Other Home-Start schemes
• Parent and toddler groups
• Health visitors
• Voluntary organisations
• Social workers

How To Refer

Referrals come from many sources including Health Visitors, Social Workers, other voluntary organisations, counselling services, churches and increasingly from families themselves.

The referral form should be used to refer a family to Home-Start Southport & Formby. Please ensure that the referral is made with the consent of the family.