Parent volunteers needed to provide extra support for families

Home-Start Isle of Wight is looking for ten volunteers from Ryde or Newport who’d like to help those who need extra support with parenting – ‘because childhood can’t wait’. 

The organisation supports families on the island coping with issues such as post-natal depression, illness or disability, isolation or multiple births - or simply the challenges of day-to-day parenthood.

Volunteers – who must be parents or have parenting experience themselves – are asked to visit families regularly to offer emotional and practical support. This friendly parent-to-parent arrangement, which requires around two – three hours’ volunteering a week, is a simple yet effective way of enabling struggling families to get back on track. 

Toby Eaglen, Sovereign Community Development Officer, said: “We want to be able to tap into the skills of our communities. That’s why we’re funding training, travel and expenses for ten volunteers who feel they’d like to step up and learn how they can help other parents through practical help and encouragement.”

Alison Griffiths, Senior Co-ordinator at Home-Start IOW, said: “We are delighted to have Sovereign’s support in the recruitment and training of Home-Start volunteers. Our volunteers visit families at home each week offering practical help and emotional support. It’s so important that the training they receive covers all aspects of the role and ensures volunteers feel confident, happy and ready. Our volunteers are as different as the families we support so it is great to be able to broaden our reach in terms of volunteer recruitment.”

Training will be held at Exchange House, St. Cross Lane, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 5BZ, starting in September in Newport and on later dates throughout the year. Volunteers from Ryde and Newport are encouraged to apply, with all volunteers vetted and subject to an enhanced DBS check.

For more information - or to offer or receive support - call Home-Start on 01983 533357, email admin@homestartiow.org.