Home-Start Hertfordshire’s trained staff and volunteers work alongside families to give non-judgemental, compassionate and confidential support.

We can support in the family home 2-3 hours a week or weekly support at one of our Family Groups.

Referral criteria: 

• The family must live in North Herts, Stevenage, East Herts, Dacorum, St Albans or Welwyn Hatfield area; and
• The family must have at least one child aged under 5; and 
• If there is a FFA or CIN plan in place, we will need to see a copy of this before we can accept the referral.

We’re not able to:

• offer baby sitting/childcare  or a decluttering/cleaning service
• work with a family on a Child Protection Plan
• Work with a family where a perpetrator of domestic abuse is still resident in the household

What happens next?

Once you complete your referral, our Service Delivery Manager will contact you to discuss it further. As part of the triage process, you’ll be asked to complete a more detailed form. We aim to do this within one week of receiving your online details.

If we can offer support, we will:

• Arrange an initial visit with the family to explore their needs
• Carefully match a volunteer’s skills and experience to the family
• Introduce the volunteer to the family or introduce the family to their local referral-only Family Group
• Inform the professional referrer (unless it is a self-referral) when our support begins and ends
• Monitor and assess the support provided to track progress
• Keep the professional referrer updated to ensure a joined-up approach

While you’re waiting for Home-Start support, you can also reach out to HertsHelp on 0300 123 4044.

They’ll be happy to talk through your situation and let you know what other support might be available for your family.