It is our aim at Home-Start Newark to operate an open referral policy ensuring that support is available to any family who is experiencing stress or difficulty and who has at least one child 0-5 years of age, or is expecting a baby and who lives in our catchment area. Contact us to check if you’re not sure.

Families can refer themselves, or be referred to Home-Start Newark by any agency, e.g. health visitor, social worker, family support worker, CPN, educational professional, etc.

Before sending in a referral form families must be consulted, informed of the content of the referral form and show their agreement by signing the form or a note made that verbal consent was given by the family. All referrals received will be assessed to determine whether or not:

• The family has willingly chosen Home-Start Newark.
• The referral falls within the remit of the scheme.
• The referrer needs to provide further information prior to a visit by a co-ordinator.
• The scheme is likely to have the resources to support the family.

To make a referral to our Family Group or to our Step up for School service please contact the office

If the referral does not fall within the remit of the scheme as per the referral criteria in FAQ 1 or there are insufficient resources to provide support, the referral and the referrer will be informed that Home-Start Newark can not help on this occasion and we will do our utmost to signpost to alternative service provision.

All referrals that are accepted for Home-Start Newark support will receive an initial visit by a Co-ordinator before support is offered to clarify their needs and the support that can be offered. Home-Start Newark will then look for a suitable Volunteer for the family and oversee the initial match and the ongoing support.

Home-Start Newark aims to provide support to families as soon as possible. When there is not likely to be a volunteer available within 2-3 weeks the referral will not be accepted, but we will retain the referrer’s details and get back to them to ask if they wish to re-send the referral once there is volunteer capacity once again.

Referrers will be informed by the Co-ordinator:

• When the referral has been accepted
• When support is offered to a family, i.e. they are lined with a Volunteer or start to attend Family Group.
• Support to a family ends.

An email will be sent to the referrer at the commencement of support and at the end of support to a family. All other contact with referrers is usually made by phone. Families and referrers are given the opportunity to comment on the service offered by Home-Start Newark at the end of support to families via a referrers’ feedback.

The Co-ordinator pays careful attention to matching Volunteers skills and experience to the needs of families. Many factors are taken into consideration, including:

• The family’s needs.
• The Volunteer’s aptitudes, skills and experience.
• Practical considerations: geography, transport and time.
• Mutual interests or life experience.
• What motivates the Volunteer.

The success of Home-Start Newark support is dependent on the relationship that develops between the family and the Volunteer, so Co-ordinators make every effort to link sensitively and appropriately. The Co-ordinator always accompanies the Volunteer on the first visit to introduce the Volunteer to the family and agree how they will work together. The Co-ordinator will stay as long as appropriate to support the family and Volunteer to get to know each other.

All personal information about parents and families is treated as confidential, to be discussed only as necessary with the Co-ordinator in support of the Volunteer and to assist the family. Any disclosure of confidential information to any other person may only be undertaken with the expressed permission of the parents for the purpose of assisting the family, except where it is considered necessary for the welfare and protection of a child when information shall be shared with the appropriate authority.

Volunteers provide continuous, regular support for a period of time consistent with a family’s needs. It is not uncommon for support to be provided for several months if needed. These are assessed initially and reviewed periodically.

Home-Start Newark’s aim is to encourage families towards independence so that the Volunteer is no longer needed. The review process will determine how long the Volunteer’s support is likely to be needed and clear plans will be made for ending the support in discussion with the Volunteer and family.

All Volunteers meet the requirements of our person specification. They are interviewed before being invited to attend a blended Preparation Course which incorporates individual learning at home with 3 full days of face to face training. They will undergo a final interview before a decision is made by the Co-ordinator about their suitability for placement with a Home-Start Newark family. We take up 2 references and a DBS check at enhanced level.