Re Home-Start Jersey 

I write to let you know that Brightly are piloting a Home-Start initiative this year and I wanted to invite referrals, please see this link for further information: Home-Start Jersey – brightly.je

We are starting in a manageable way and then hope to grow appropriately, therefore in order to manage expectations I need to stress that we are starting with just ten volunteers, so please can you very carefully consider the number of referrals you make!

Home-Start Jersey is among a network of more than 180 Home-Starts across the UK whose staff and trained volunteers offer compassionate, non-judgemental support. As part of the home-visiting service, volunteers complete a training programme after which they are matched to an individual or family who they will visit once a week (usually for 2-3 hours).

The new Home-Start Jersey service will be provide home-visiting support to three specific target groups:

• care leavers aged 16-25;
• families with pre-school children, where a parent is care experienced; and
• families with pre-school children, where a child or a parent is experiencing poor health.

We are offering support through the volunteer home visiting service. The matching process involves a few steps as follows:

• Referral made
• If the referral seems appropriate a home visit will be arranged to enable me, as the Home-Start Jersey Coordinator, to visit the individual or family and to clarify their specific needs and to better understand how a Home-Start volunteer could provide support
• Matching an individual / family to a Home-Start Jersey volunteer
• The Coordinator and the volunteer make an initial home visit
• Regular home visiting commences (this will usually continue for three months or so)

Please can you cascade this information to your colleagues. You will find a referral form on our website.

I would be happy to clarify anything if you have any questions.

For more on Home-Start follow this link: https://www.home-start.org.uk/