About Us
Mayor’s Charity 2013-14
Breaking news: We are delighted that we are one of the Mayor’s Charities for 2013-14.
New Mayor of Richmond upon Thames Meena Bond and Deputy Mayor Stephen Speak have chosen Home-Start Richmond and The Avenue Club in Kew to be the beneficiaries of this year’s fundraising. We are looking forward to working with the Mayor’s Office to raise much needed funds to train more volunteers and are very grateful to have been selected.
Home-Start Richmond is part of Home-Start UK, the leading family support charity. We offer outreach services through volunteers giving regular support, friendship and practical help to families under stress in their own homes, helping to prevent family crisis and breakdown.
Click here to visit the website for Home-Start UK
The Richmond scheme was set up in 1995 and serves the whole borough of Richmond upon Thames, including Barnes, Mortlake, East Sheen, Kew, Richmond, Ham, St Margarets, Twickenham, Teddington, Hampton, Hampton Hill, Hampton Wick and Whitton.
What we do
We support local families, with at least one child under the age of five, through our dedicated home-visiting volunteers and we also offer support to families through term-time weekly Family Groups. Our co-ordinators are responsible for the day-to-day recruitment, training and support of the volunteers as well as liaising with referrers.
Our Scheme is supported by a Board of Trustees, who oversee our activities, providing strategic, funding and governance advice.
Who we help
Volunteers support local families facing a variety of difficulties, including loneliness and isolation; ill health; post-natal depression; disabilities; bereavement; relationship difficulties; lone-parenting and coping with several pre-school children.
Our volunteers
Home-Start volunteers, who are parents themselves, understand these stresses and are ready to offer help and friendly flexible support. They are selected for their friendliness, practical approach and understanding. References and an Enhanced CRB check are completed and all volunteers attend a Preparation Course before being matched with a suitable family. The volunteer then visits the family at home for a few hours per week on an ongoing basis. The support varies according to the needs of each individual family, but volunteers are there to listen, offer friendship in times of need, and practical help, for example, during playtime or outings.
Equal Opportunities
Home-Start Richmond is an Equal Opportunities organisation and is positively committed to oppose all direct and indirect discrimination in the organisation against people on the grounds of ethnic origin, religion, culture, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age and family status.