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Home-Start North Down

  • Status

    Received: 3 days late

  • Income

    £90.1K

  • Spending

    £95.9K

  • Charity no. 106098
  • Company no. 22755
  • Date registered. 03/04/2017

Public benefits

The Trustees believe that all our purposes satisfy both elements of the public benefit requirement. The direct benefits which flow from our purposes include; • improved health outcomes and improved uptake of health appointments. • happier, safer children and happier safer homes. As a result fewer children suffer cruelty or maltreatment. • parents

and children feel less marginalised. Families make better use of local services and are less isolated and have wider horizons. Families are better able to cope with their needs. • families develop improved coping strategies and parents become more confident through increased education in childcare standards. All of these benefits are demonstrated by the completion of review visit forms which track an individual family’s “journey of change”. Also feedback questionnaires are completed by families and referrers at the close of support. The benefits of all our purposes are also demonstrated by regular evaluation of the services by Health and Social Care Trusts, funders and monitoring and evaluation of the service. The purposes do not give rise to any harm. The beneficiaries of our purposes are families who are experiencing difficulties or suffering stress and who have at least one child under 5 years of age and live in the Area of Benefit. A private benefit to volunteers may arise from our mandatory training in values and attitudes, safeguarding children, confidentiality etc. Through the training volunteers gain skills and experience which are transferable to other settings. These benefits are incidental and necessary to ensure the benefit is provided to our beneficiaries. A second private benefit to Trustees may arise from our programme of training in good governance, finance etc. Through the training trustees gain skills and experience which are transferable to other settings. These benefits are incidental and necessary to ensure the benefit is provided to our beneficiaries. These private benefits are relevant to all our purposes.

What your organisation does

Home-Start North Down offers • Support to families through trained volunteers visiting families in their own homes to offer parent to parent support tailored to meet identified need. We offer friendship, practical and emotional support to parents of at least one child under five. Through the support of trained volunteers we aim to give 0-5 year

olds within supported families the best start in life based on equality of opportunity. Through volunteer support we aim to promote social inclusion by visiting families who may experience disadvantage due to ethnicity, disability and/or mental health illness. We aim to increase confidence, self-esteem and to work preventively to help families cope with practical and emotional difficulties thus improving emotional well-being for both parents and children and alleviate stress within families. We aim to build on the strengths of families by supporting parents as they overcome difficulties, grow in confidence and strengthen their relationships with their children, enabling them to give their children the best start in life. Our volunteers support families to use other resources within the community to create supportive networks, encouraging independence and social and community integration. • Family Groups which provide a space for parents to gather, meet and talk, and create their own local support network. At group children can participate in Rhyme Time, arts and crafts and avail of a healthy break. Families can avail of health information and advice such as dental hygiene, nutrition and child development. A range of seasonal events, fun activities and trips are open to families supported. Home-Start groups are mostly parent and toddler groups. But there are also more targeted groups to meet the needs of people in local communities.

The charity’s classifications

  • The prevention or relief of poverty
  • The advancement of education
  • The advancement of health or the saving of lives
  • The advancement of citizenship or community development
  • The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage

Who the charity helps

  • Children (5-13 year olds)
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Men
  • Mental health
  • Parents
  • Physical disabilities
  • Preschool (0-5 year olds)
  • Specific areas of deprivation
  • Unemployed/low income
  • Voluntary and community sector
  • Volunteers
  • Women
  • Youth (14-25 year olds)

How the charity works

  • Advice/advocacy/information
  • Community development
  • Counselling/support
  • Education/training
  • Relief of poverty
  • Volunteer development

Charitable purposes

The Objects of the Charity are: a) to safeguard, protect and preserve the good health, both mental and physical of children and parents of children; b) to prevent cruelty to or maltreatment of children; c) to relieve sickness, poverty and need amongst children and parents of children; d) to promote the education of the public in better standards of child care; principally but not exclusively within the area of North Down and its environs.

Governing document

Memorandum and Articles

Other name

List of regions

  • In Northern Ireland
  • Ards And North Down Borough Council

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