Home-Start Stroud and Gloucester
There for parents when they need us most,
because childhood can't wait
We support over 600 families every year through a plethora of different services including home visiting by trained volunteers, antenatal and postnatal groups, a perinatal mental health peer support programme and a Dad Matters project to specifically support dads to have the best relationships possible with their children.
Our vision is to see every parent living in Stroud and Gloucester getting the support that they need to give their children the best possible start in life.
We believe passionately in early intervention and a strengths-based approach to supporting families to overcome any challenges they face and for parents to be supported to be the best parents they can be.
Our Values
We strive to be a non-judgmental service that is professional and non-threatening in its approach.
We aim to empower families with strategies that enable them to raise their children in a safe, positive and enjoyable way.
We do this through being empathetic, supportive and honest in all of our interactions.
We are committed to reducing inequality and promoting well-being in the communities that we serve.
Our Services
We offer:
- Home visiting (weekly) to families in their own homes by highly trained volunteers who are supervised by our family coordinators.
- Bump-Start program: These ante-natal groups are informal sessions for vulnerable families referred by midwives to provide extra support on new parents’ pregnancy journeys. Sessions are activity based and cover a range of topics such as bonding with your bump, emotions during pregnancy and the baby’s development in the womb. We also offer telephone 1-2-1 sessions for families that will not be able to access the group either because of their mental health or because of logistical reasons.
- Best-Start program: These post-natal groups for vulnerable parents with 0- to 6-month-old babies are structured programs led by our highly trained group staff. Sessions focus on up-to-date advice on topics such as teething, first aid, supporting early relationships, play, baby massage, routines, self-care and sleep.
- Mothers in Mind (MiMs): This is a perinatal mental health program to support women affected by mental health issues in the first two years of their parenting journey. They are based on peer support, offering reassurance and support to women who are struggling to attend any other group.
- Arkell Family Fun: This is a term time only stay and play group for families based in a rurally isolated and deprived community in the Stroud District.
Dad Matters Gloucestershire: a project to help dads have positive relationships with their families, supporting them with their own wellbeing and mental health. This is achieved by providing ante and post-natal groups for dads, offering 1-2-1 peer support, signposting and supporting dads to access services and information to help make sense of being a dad as well as by recruiting and training volunteers to provide peer support.
Next: Bump Start