Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey

There for parents when they need us most,
because childhood can't wait

Are you a parent in need of support?

Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey may be able to help you by offering you a volunteer mentor if you:

live in Sittingbourne, Sheppey or the surrounding areas in Kent.
have one or more children under the age of 5
are going through a difficult time in your life

There are many reasons why you may need us. Perhaps you are:

feeling isolated, maybe with no family nearby and are struggling to make friends
suffering with post-natal depression and maybe finding it hard to talk to anyone about it
having a hard time coping with your child’s illness or disability
being affected by the death of a family member
struggling with the emotional and practical demands of twins, triplets or children under 11
finding it hard to cope with relationship difficulties
feeling exhausted or depressed
coping with your own illness or disability

These can make family life difficult to manage

What do we offer?

If we think you qualify for our service, a carefully selected and trained volunteer mentor, who has parenting experience, can visit you regularly for up to 3 hours a week in your own home. Our volunteer mentors are there to offer emotional and practical support based on what we agree together would be helpful. Our support is flexible and responsive to your needs and can include:

being a listening ear or someone to talk to
adult company
helping and playing with your children
reassurance
help to find out about and access other local amenities and services
encouragement and motivation
practical help

We also offer a Twins Group. To find out more about the Twins Group please visit this page.

How can I get support?

You will need to speak to an early help practitioner such as children’s centre staff, health visitor, GP or school Family Liaison Officer.

Once we receive a referral we will contact you and arrange a visit to discuss what issues your family is having to deal with, what support is needed and how we may be able to help you. Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey is an independent and confidential volunteer service – we only support you at your request.

Next: Referrals