Could your parenting experience help a family?
Home-Start Lambeth is looking for volunteers. The charity trains people to work with families with young children and give practical and emotional support to manage and resolve problems.
The Bugle went along to an induction session in Angell Town and spoke to the trainers and volunteers.
Home-Start’s Liz Ranger explains how it works: “Volunteers visit families for two to three hours a week, using their own parenting and grandparenting experiences to find solutions to family problems. This might be through listening to the parent, reading with the children or helping the family go out to the park.”
Volunteers receive a free training course to develop their skills and prepare them for the things they may encounter with their family.
“They make new friends, obtain good experience to add to their CV and have a lot of fun too,”says Ranger. “Training and volunteering happens during school hours and not during school holidays and it would suit anyone who might be looking for a new challenge, wanting to do something for themselves or at that point of wondering what next?”
Volunteer Helen agreed: “I got involved because it was a good thing to do, I wish it had been around when mine were growing up.” Deneze added: “Being listened to is one of the most important things.”
The volunteers are from a variety of backgrounds, men as well as women, but what they have in common is parenting experience and a desire to put that to good use helping others.
The next volunteer training course takes place in the autumn. For more information, contact Home-Start Lambeth on 020 7924 9292 or info@homestartlambeth.co.uk or visit www.homestartlambeth.co.uk. All volunteers will have a DBS check.
