At Home-Start Banbury, Bicester & Chipping Norton, we support families with at least one child under the age of 5 years, who are experiencing a difficult time. We recruit Home-visiting volunteers from our local community and deliver training before they begin to visit a family in their home. Our volunteers provide practical help and emotional support tailored to the individual needs of that family. This support continues for as long as the family needs it.

In addition, we drop-in Stay & Play sessions weekly in Banbury and Bicester during term-time.

Why are we needed?
At Home-Start Banbury, Bicester & Chipping Norton, we support families who are finding family life difficult for a range of reasons such as isolation, mental health difficulties (including Post-Natal Depression), relationship problems, domestic abuse, disability and many others. Families choose to engage with our service rather than it being imposed on them which allows a supportive relationship to be built between our volunteers and families.  We work in partnership with other local organisations to enhance support for families. By intervening early, we can prevent family crisis and breakdown.

What is our impact?
As a result of our work at Home-Start Banbury, Bicester & Chipping Norton, families develop better ways to cope better with their difficulties. Volunteers can’t take a problem away, but they can give a family encouragement and support to build their confidence and the ability to cope with the stresses of parenthood, giving children a better ‘home-start’ in life. 

In 2020/2021, Home-Start Banbury, Bicester & Chipping Norton supported 58 families, building parental confidence and resilience. Parents who receive support report improved emotional well-being for them and their children. We rigorously evaluate our work to ensure we achieve excellent outcomes for children and their families.     

Donations
Our work is funded by ongoing fundraising and we receive little statutory funding. We apply to trusts and foundations for grants, work with local businesses and participate in community fundraising. We are incredibly appreciative to individuals who support our work through one-off or monthly donations. You make such a difference to the lives of local families. 

To keep up-to-date with our news, please sign up to our quarterly newsletter: 
https://home-startbanbury.org.uk/enewsletter/