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Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support. We help families with children under five with practical and confidential support.

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Being a parent can be lonely, frustrating and overwhelming. Home-start is there for families when they need it the most, because childhood can't wait.

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The earliest years make a big difference. Home-Start helps to make those years count, so no child's future is limited.

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We offer support to parents at the earliest opportunity to help them feel confident and ready for the next steps in their parenting journey.

Bumps and Babies Project

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Volunteer for Home-Start
By volunteering just a few hours each week you can transform the lives of young children and their parents in your community.

We’re there for when parents need us the most, because childhood can’t wait.

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Welcome to Homestart I.O.W.

Home-Start IOW is a voluntary organisation that offers support to parents/carers who are facing difficulties and have at least one child under school age.

Support is provided in the family’s home and also through Home-Start Groups.

Home-Start IOW was established in 1997 and supports families across the Island, working in partnership with other voluntary and statutory organisations.

Join Our Team: Volunteer Co-ordinator

Location: Isle of Wight (with flexible working)
Contract: Part-time | Fixed-term
Application deadline: Midnight, Thursday 22nd May

At Home-Start Isle of Wight, our volunteers are the heart of what we do. Every week, they support families with young children through some of life’s toughest moments, offering a listening ear, practical help, and a sense of hope.

Now, we’re looking for an inspiring and organised Volunteer Co-ordinator to lead the way in how we recruit, engage, and support our volunteers. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of volunteering at Home-Start: designing flexible roles, expanding our reach, and building a warm, inclusive volunteer community.

Key responsibilities include:
– Creating and delivering engaging recruitment campaigns
– Developing flexible and inclusive volunteer roles
– Designing and delivering training (both in-person and online)
– Supporting volunteers with regular supervision and community connection
– Tracking impact and contributing to long-term sustainability

We’re looking for someone who:
– Is passionate about people and community
– Has excellent communication, organisational, and outreach skills
– Can think creatively and work collaboratively
– Is committed to inclusion and empowering others
-Whether you come from a charity, education, health, or community background (if you’re ready to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you)

How to apply:
To request an application pack or find out more, please email admin@homestartiow.org or download the forms below.

Application Form

Recruitment Pack

New Vacancy – Volunteer Opportunity: Secretary to the Board of Trustees

Home-Start Isle of Wight is looking for an organised and motivated volunteer to join our Board of Trustees as Secretary.
This vital role helps ensure the smooth running of our charity’s governance, supporting our mission to offer practical and emotional help to local families when they need it most.
As Board Secretary, you will:

Prepare and circulate meeting agendas and papers
Accurately record and distribute meeting minutes
Assist with board communications and scheduling
Help maintain key documents and governance records

Commitment:

A couple of hours per week, with attendance at four Board meetings per year (plus the AGM)
Flexible around your other commitments

What we’re looking for:

Strong organisational, administrative, and IT skills
Attention to detail and the ability to handle confidential information sensitively
A passion for making a difference to families and young children
Experience with charities or voluntary organisations (desirable but not essential)

By joining Home-Start Isle of Wight, you’ll become part of a dedicated, friendly team working to create brighter futures for families across the Island.

Interested in applying?

Please complete our Expression of Interest form and make sure you click the ‘administration’ option on the form https://bit.ly/43TIF3f or get in touch for more information:

📧 admin@homestartiow.org
📞 01983 533357

Welcome to Home-Start I.O.W.

Home-Start IOW is a voluntary organisation that offers support to parents/carers with at least one child under school age to help them with the challenges of family life.

We provide emotional and practical support to families with our trained home-visiting volunteers, expert staff, stay and play sessions and holiday activities, helping them through their most challenging times.

We’re there for parents when they need us the most, because childhood can’t wait.

Home-Start IOW was established in 1997 and supports families across the Island, working in partnership with other voluntary and statutory organisations.

What We Do

Family life with young children can be challenging and overwhelming at times. We understand that sometimes it makes all the difference to have someone to turn to when family life is tough.

Families struggling with postnatal depression, isolation, illness, bereavement or family breakdown, and many other issues, receive the support of a trained volunteer who will spend around two to three hours a week in a family’s home supporting them in the ways they need. This is supported by expert help from our co-ordinators who also offer home visiting support and informal online parenting workshops.

We also run weekly ‘invitation only’ Family Group sessions in the community so that parents and children are able to socialise with each other in a safe and stimulating environment.

“Home-Start were there when I really needed them. As a person, I gained confidence and made some life long friends during my time with Home-Start. I had the opportunity to off load when I needed a listening ear, the chance to be amongst others who knew just how challenging parenting can be and the chance to have something to look forward to each week.”

Home-Start IOW Parent

+ families visited at home

+ families supported at groups

+ volunteers recruited

+ referrals

Our Support

Home Visiting

We work with families experiencing a range of challenges, giving practical help and emotional support.

Family Groups

We run weekly stay and play Family Group sessions for parents and their young children.

Bumps and Babies

We offer support to parents to help them feel confident and ready for the next steps in their parenting journey.

Referrals

We support parents with at least one child under the age of 5 years. You can refer yourself or someone else for our support.

BQF Patrons Award Winner, Margaret Rylands

Home-Start Isle of Wight is delighted to celebrate the incredible achievement of Margaret Ryland, who has been awarded the BQF Patron’s Award in recognition of her dedication to supporting families in need.

The British Quality Foundation (BQF) is a national organisation that promotes excellence across businesses and charities. To mark its 30th anniversary, BQF introduced the Patron’s Award, endorsed by HRH The Princess Royal, to honour individuals who make a lasting impact in their communities. In addition to the judges’ selections, a public vote was held to determine the winner.

Margaret, a long-standing Home-Start IOW volunteer, was not only nominated but went on to win this prestigious award, highlighting the profound difference she has made in the lives of local families. Her dedication and unwavering support for parents and young children have earned her deep respect and gratitude from both the families she helps and the wider community.

As part of her award recognition, Margaret had the honour of meeting HRH The Princess Royal, receiving the VIP treatment she truly deserves.

Home-Start IOW Volunteer receives national recognition with special volunteering award

Margaret a Home-Start volunteer has received a national award in recognition of her dedication over 25 years.

Margaret Rylands has volunteered with Home-Start on the Island supporting families in their homes since 1999, has been a trustee for almost the same amount of time, as well as serving a term as Chair of the Board of Trustees.

She’s been described by parents and carers she’s helped as: “A lifeline, a part of the family, the mum I don’t have, the grandmother to my children that they haven’t got…”

Home-Start UK’s Volunteer Awards were held on Thursday 18th January to recognise and celebrate the amazing contributions of volunteers across the network.

There are more than 10,000 Home-Start volunteers and 1,000 Trustees who volunteer in communities all over the UK.

A group of around 30 Island volunteers, families and trustees gathered at Briddlesford Farm to watch the national ceremony broadcast online to Home-Start branches all around the country – and to see Margaret win the biggest award of them all!

Speaking after the award ceremony Margaret said : ‘I was just amazed that I made the shortlist – and I don’t know what the word is now!

“I’ve really enjoyed all the years that I’ve been at Home-Start. I’ve often felt that I get at least as much out of it as the families, if not more.

“It’s lovely watching children grow up with the families I’ve stayed in touch with, I hope that somewhere along the line that I’ve made a difference.”

Speaking on the video shown at the award ceremony, Home-Start IOW Scheme Manager Alison Griffiths said: “Margaret is unassuming, very reliable, she’s incredibly thoughtful, she’s so kind – but she does it all in a very quiet way.

“She just cares really really deeply for Home-Start and she believes in everything that we do.”

Becky Dollery, a mum from one of the first families Margaret helped, says: “It’s quite emotional… It was really tough when the kids came home from hospital, being so premature, a lot of the time I was on my own with my husband working away during the week – so I really only had Margaret.

“Without her help I couldn’t have done those little things other people take for granted.”

Marie Cooper, another mum supported by Margaret 20 years ago says: “There’s not a thank you big enough – she’s not a volunteer to us, she’s family.”