Last year Home-Start Nottingham helped 98 families and 212 children to improve their family life.

We aim to improve the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable young children, to support parents to build strong, happy families, to help families connect with their local community and to enable parents and children to access, and benefit from, care and support from local services

We work with parents because they hold the key to giving their children the best start in life. By supporting parents to build strong, happy families we improve outcomes for children.

Parents who are struggling with significant issues of their own often find it hard to recognise their children's needs and to put them first. They may be reluctant to engage with health, education and social care services. Inconsistent care and lack of engagement with services increase the risk of neglect, and the possibility that children may be taken into care.

Home Start Nottingham provides a unique non-judgemental service which parents are more likely to interact with positively.

How we support families: Home-Start Nottingham recruits and trains volunteers, who are usually parents themselves, to visit families at home for two or three hours a week. Our volunteers offer informal, friendly and non-judgmental support. They receive supervision and support from our Co-ordinators. In addition to the home visiting service we run a weekly family group in one of the districts. With additional funding we can run parenting courses and parents groups and provide fantastic outings for families.

We work with families in the City of Nottingham and the Nottinghamshire Boroughs of Rushcliffe, Broxtowe, Gedling and Ashfield. The City of Nottingham is one of the most deprived districts in England, with more than 35% of children living in poverty one of the highest rates in England.