Homestart
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| Homestart | |
|---|---|
| Name | Homestart |
| Type | Charity |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Founder | Local community groups |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Services | Volunteer home-visiting, family support, early intervention |
| Region served | United Kingdom, select international locations |
Homestart Homestart is a UK-based charity network providing volunteer home-visiting and family support services for families with young children. It operates through a federation of independent local schemes delivering early intervention, parental support, and safeguarding work across urban and rural areas. The organisation collaborates with statutory and voluntary bodies to address child welfare, maternal health, and social isolation.
History
The origins of the organisation date to community initiatives in the 1970s that responded to concerns raised in reports by bodies such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, National Children’s Bureau, and advocates from the Community Development Foundation. Early pilots were influenced by models promoted by the Plunkett Foundation and advice in reports produced by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Save the Children. During the 1980s and 1990s the movement expanded alongside policy shifts enacted by the Children Act 1989, with local schemes forming networks that referenced guidance from the NSPCC and professional standards from the Health and Safety Executive. In the 2000s, partnerships with agencies such as Public Health England, Department for Education (UK), and NHS England shaped programme development. The organisation’s trajectory intersected with national strategies promoted by the Sure Start programme and recommendations from the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Organisation and Structure
The federation comprises independent local schemes often registered as charities or community interest companies and coordinated by a central support office akin to umbrella bodies like the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy or the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. Local governance typically involves boards with trustees drawn from organisations such as the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing, and local authorities like Liverpool City Council or Camden Council. Operational links are maintained with statutory agencies including the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service and voluntary partners like Barnardo's and Family Action. Volunteer recruitment, training, and safeguarding policies reference frameworks from entities such as the Disclosure and Barring Service and standards promoted by the Care Quality Commission.
Services and Programmes
Programmes concentrate on home-visiting, parental mentoring, and early years support, aligning with interventions recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and evaluated by research centres like the What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Services include one-to-one volunteer visits, peer support groups, and signposting to statutory providers such as Early Help Hubs, Health Visitors, and Children’s Centres established under initiatives linked to the Sure Start Local Programmes. Specialist pathways address perinatal mental health alongside referrals to organisations like Mind and clinical services within NHS Trusts including Great Ormond Street Hospital. Training modules draw on safeguarding curricula used by Action for Children and sector guidance from the TUC and Skills for Care.
Funding and Governance
Funding models blend local authority contracts with grants from trusts and foundations such as the Big Lottery Fund (now The National Lottery Community Fund), Nesta, and charitable foundations like the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. Corporate partnerships sometimes involve organisations like Barclays and Tesco through community investment programmes. Governance oversight is exercised by boards of trustees adhering to regulation standards from the Charity Commission for England and Wales and accounting practices advised by the Financial Reporting Council. Commissioning relationships with bodies such as Clinical Commissioning Groups (predecessors to Integrated Care Boards) and local councils influence service continuity and sustainability.
Impact and Evaluation
Impact assessments have been undertaken by academic institutions including the University of Oxford, University College London, and the London School of Economics, often measuring outcomes such as reductions in emergency department presentations, improved parental wellbeing, and increased school readiness. Evaluations reference methodologies used by the Education Endowment Foundation and outcome frameworks promoted by the Social Research Association. Findings have been cited in policy briefs by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and programmatic reviews from the National Audit Office addressing early intervention cost-effectiveness. Longitudinal analyses have linked volunteer-led home visiting models to indicators monitored by the Office for National Statistics.
Regional and International Presence
While primarily concentrated across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, local schemes have engaged in knowledge exchange with international actors such as UNICEF, World Health Organization, and NGOs like Save the Children International and Oxfam. Comparative models have been discussed alongside programmes from the United States Department of Health and Human Services and family support initiatives in Australia and Canada, as examined by researchers at the University of Melbourne and the University of Toronto.
Criticism and Controversies
Critiques have focused on variability in service quality between local schemes, challenges in sustaining funding amid austerity measures promoted by policy shifts during administrations of leaders like David Cameron and Theresa May, and debates about the evidential basis compared with nurse-led models such as the Family Nurse Partnership. Concerns raised by bodies including the Children's Commissioner for England and academic commentators at institutions like Oxford Brookes University have highlighted issues of safeguarding consistency, volunteer turnover, and the limits of short-term funding from sources including corporate sponsors and local authority contracts.