Home-Start National

In most countries where we operate, Home-Start schemes are coordinated by a national association. The national association provides the same friendly support to Home-Start schemes that our volunteers provide to families.

We believe that families deserve the best support we can give them, so our national associations provide first-rate resources, training and support to schemes in their countries.

We also believe that families need an advocate at a national level, someone speaking out on their behalf, so in some countries our national associations work with governments to try to make life better for families. Sometimes that means they need to challenge governments to do a better job, so our national associations will lobby for change when necessary.

• In Hungary Home-Start’s national association is lobbying the government to push the welfare of families up the national agenda
• In South Africa our national association is working with the Department of Social Development to build a framework for a National Family Policy
• In Norway Home-Start was asked by the government to carry out a three-year project to help chronically ill and disabled children across the country
• In Greece, Hungary, Ireland and the UK Home-Start has worked with families to produce a report on social isolation in their countries, then lobbied their governments to take action

National associations also help local communities and activists set up new Home-Start schemes, reaching out to more and more families in need every year. They provide training, information and guidance to existing and new schemes, to ensure that the service provided to families everywhere is of the same high quality. And they make sure that the needs of parents and young children are kept on the agenda by working with press, media and opinion-makers in order to secure a better future for the children of their nation.

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