Working together for families
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Home-Start
Oxford
26th Annual Report 2013/14
Working together
for families
2 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
Contents
What Home-Start Offers 3
Vision and Mission 4
Chair’s introduction 5
The admin role 7
An afternoon with my family 8
Volunteers and training 10
Our family support work 11
A referrer’s view 12
Bicester Coordinator’s report 13
Treasurer’s report 15
Summary of Accounts 2012–13 17
Sources of income 18
Trustees and staff 2013–14 19
Getting involved 20
Thank you 22
Home-Start Oxford is a Company Limited by Guarantee (England)
Registration No. 5375011, Registered Charity No. 1108612
Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 3
What Home-Start offers
n Volunteers with parenting experience who are matched with, and visit on a
regular basis, families who have young children
n Befriending and flexible home-based support which is tailor-made to meet
the specific wishes and needs of a family
n Emotional support to help parents find ways to manage and resolve problems
n Direct support to children, including playing, listening, having fun,
establishing routines, encouraging development and providing opportunities
for outings and treats
n Practical help, perhaps with getting to appointments, helping with shopping,
budgeting, nutrition and meal planning, cooking and making the home safe
n Outreach and family group work so parents can get out and meet others,
access Children’s Centres and become more involved in their own community
n Information and links to other organisations including health and
educational services
n Attendance at meetings and moral support, especially in relation to dealing
with case conferences or solicitors and court cases
n Access to parenting advice and parenting skills training
The UK’s Leading
Family Support
Charity
4 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
Vision
Home-Start wants to see a society in which every parent has the support
they need to give their children the best possible start in life.
Mission
To offer support, friendship and practical help to families with a child under
five, and particularly families who are vulnerable, isolated or under stress,
through home visiting by trained volunteers and other services.
Our purpose is to help children by supporting parents to grow in confidence,
strengthen their relationships with children, and widen their links with the
local community. In this way we aim, in partnership with other agencies, to
foster the development of children, and the health and welfare of the family,
and to provide an effective preventative service.
Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 5
Chair’s Introduction
It is vitally important for us all that children have as happy and secure a family background
as possible, to enable them to thrive and become positive members of society. They are
the building blocks of and for the next generation. This fact must never be overlooked or
undervalued.
However, bringing up children presents challenges to us all, much more so when parents
are under stress, and we live in ever stressful times. We at Home-Start Oxford & Bicester
continue to help families manage and/or overcome these challenges and stresses through
the dedication of our staff team and our many volunteers.
I make no apology for repeating a theme from last year - that we need to do as much as
we can to support children and their parents to become secure in themselves. The home is
all-important to achieving this, and we start
in the home.
Our unique selling points remain “Home-Start offers a fantastic
firstly that we give families the choice of service – it was just the right thing
having our support, so there is a positive
engagement with us and our service from
for me. Until you really need help
the start, and secondly that our volunteers you just don’t know what’s out
continue to visit, using a befriending model there. I could trust my volunteer
for their support, for as long as is needed. with anything. She was eager to
The importance of this extended support
for families cannot be underestimated.
help in whatever way she could.”
The decline of services in the family and A supported mother
children sector concerns us, as it does all
working within it. Children’s Centres and
social services continue to have their funding reduced, and looking forward to 2015-6 we are
likely to see some Children’s Centres closing as reductions continue.
This leads to an ever increasing demand for our service – this year we had over 128
referrals, compared to 81 the previous year. Most of these referrals now come from health
visitors who are among the few professionals still seeing families in the home. In 2013-
14 we provided support to 100 families and 209 children through our dedicated team of
volunteers and also our family support worker who adds importantly to this work, able to
help with more complex needs as well as modelling parenting skills. Our family coordinators
have continued to forge and maintain links with our partner and other agencies as well as
with other Home-Start schemes.
In this our 26th year we have been busy in other ways too. We have been keen to raise
our local profile, and our new administrator Matt Zeqiri has been signal in doing this.
His work resulted in a 2 page spread in late October 2013 in the Oxford Mail about the
6 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
important work we do. In November 2013 Home-Start Oxford & Bicester was promoted at
performances of ‘The Other Shakespeare’ by Pitchfork Production in the Queen’s College,
Oxford, with the ticket proceeds from one performance being donated to us.
We also underwent a successful Quality Assurance review and audit in December 2013/
January 2014, which gave us the opportunity to review our structure, work and practice. It
has been a very worthwhile experience, as a result of which we have restructured the staff
team, creating a managerial position of senior coordinator. Our family coordinator Karen
Porter was appointed to this position with effect from 1 April 2014.
At the time of writing we are of course in 2014-15, and we have seen many changes to
the staff team. As a result of the reductions in funding described by our treasurer later in this
report, Sarah Harvey took voluntary redundancy after nearly 10 years, and Anna Laerke after
6 years. It was with sadness that we said goodbye to them, and we wish them every success
hereafter.
Their departure has created opportunities, albeit some only short-term. In July we
appointed Sam Challen, originally a volunteer, then our family support worker, to the
role of family coordinator for the Bicester area. We appointed Fiona Bowler, also formerly
a volunteer, to the role of family support worker in September. Following a successful
application for short-term funding for a Social Inclusion Fund project, we then appointed
former volunteers Claire Roberts and Jennifer Booth as a fixed term family coordinator and
family support worker respectively. These appointments demonstrate the ways in which our
training, enabled by the Big Lottery Fund, provides opportunities for employment, career
change and progression, and we are rightly proud of this.
We are considering some interesting new initiatives with an energetic and committed
staff team. Our major ongoing challenge is fundraising to provide a more secure and longer
term base for our work.
My fellow trustees continue to be a great support, and once again my particular thanks
go to Douglas Keir, our treasurer, for his report on financial matters on pages 11 - 13, and
for his chairmanship of the funding committee. I am also delighted to be welcoming Sarah
Wood, Catherine Goode and Barbara Munske-Cresswell on to the Board of Trustees.
Last but by no means least, Romy Briant has decided to stand down both as a trustee
and from the Management Board. She first joined as a trustee 10 years ago, after previously
being an advisor. Throughout the years she has brought a wealth of experience to us with
her commitment to safeguarding excellence, her fundraising and her knowledge of family
work as well as that relating to the legal constitutional requirements of Home-Start as a
charity and company limited by guarantee. She will be greatly missed, though happily for
us she has agreed to remain in contact by being the external safeguarding advisor to the
Scheme. Our great thanks and good wishes go to her.
Alison Scott
Chair of the Board of Trustees, November 2014Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 7
The admin role
A view from the front-line, so to speak
I came to Home-Start Oxford, and the city, at the beginning of October 2013, just in time for
QA and the AGM (there’s nothing quite like a baptism of fire!). The Home-Start world was a
completely new one to me.
While the day-to-day pace of work is hectic,
it is made a lot easier by the knowledge that
“What you do to support families what we are doing is worth every ounce of
is so special, valuable and vital. effort (and every new grey hair found in my
beard).
We know that you have excellent Supporting our wonderful team of
training and can rely on you to volunteers has been a very rewarding
make a real difference to families experience, and I’ve particularly enjoyed
who are struggling.” writing about their work for local press
pieces and in fundraising bids. When it
Referrer comes to convincing trust funds that our
work is worth supporting, the enthusiasm,
skills and effectiveness of our volunteers are
the best bargaining chips we have. I have also felt the benefit of the team’s tireless work ethic
in the office, where volunteer Jessica Upton has lent a hand with data input for our online
recording system. Hearty thanks to her for taking on this extra work during 2013-14.
There have been a few changes
over the year, but my most significant
one has been the introduction of a There was a young man from Surrey
brand new set of computers thanks Who accepted a job in a hurry
to a most generous grant from an Home-Start heaped on the strain,
anonymous donor and funding from
the Doris Field Charitable Trust.
Overloaded his brain,
These have sped up much of the So he clocked off and went for a curry
digital processes involved in our
On a lighter note – Matt
administration, including the
recording of new referrals, putting
together newsletters for our volunteers and members, updating our website, running our
Twitter account (follow us @HomeStart_Ox), and doing many other tasks that seem small in
isolation, but all contribute to the really important work of supporting vulnerable families.
Matt Zeqiri
Administrator8 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
An afternoon with my family
Mum gives me a warm hug when I arrive, and we get ready to go out. It is very important for
Mum’s sense of wellbeing to get out so we tend to walk for miles each time I visit, pushing
the double buggy along the river bank and into parts of Oxford I have never been. It is easy
to chat as we walk and I try to reassure and offer her advice about her worries and concerns.
Although this mum is very competent and experienced, with two older girls aged three
and five, at around 3 months old her twin babies were admitted to paediatric intensive care
with respiratory problems. Their serious illness has completely shaken her confidence in her
capabilities. She is anxious, has no routine, the feeding and sleeping patterns are erratic, and
she is struggling to give equal attention to all four little girls. All these concerns are coupled
with an underlying worry of how she will manage when she returns to work part time.
After stopping for a cup of tea when we each give the babies a bottle, we have to run to
school with the buggy to meet S (aged 5). Her class room is on the second floor. I collect her
as there’s no way of getting the double buggy up the stairs. We then head to the next schoolHome-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 9
to pick up B (aged 3). I stay with the babies while Mum goes in. B comes running out and
jumps up for a hug. It’s lovely that she is so pleased to see me.
We start the marathon journey home. S is walking home backwards (as you do when
you are five). B is tired, so she sits on the front of the buggy with Mum pushing while I walk
home backwards with S. As we make our way she tells me Mum has been crying.
Once home, I bring out some stones
and shells for the girls to paint. Mum is
“10/10 – good support offered, keen for them to do something special
taking pressure off Mum by when they come home rather than just
sit in front of the TV while she sorts out
helping with the babies, especially the twins, so this is where I can really
the little boy who demanded high help. We then cuddle up and read some
levels of attention.” stories that my children liked when they
were little. When Dad gets back from
Referrer work, it’s time for me to leave. S gives me
an impromptu hug when I go. It strikes
me again how much I enjoy my role –
though no one said how fit being a Home-Start volunteer keeps you!
After I finished supporting ‘my’ family I popped in as a friend to see them. All is calm,
the babies are asleep in their cots, and B is
happily colouring in the kitchen. Mum is
relaxed and happy at home, enjoying being
back at work part time and is even looking “Just wanted to say we are really
forward to the winter, whereas before she enjoying volunteer’s visits. It
got really down about it.. We all go to pick
up S from school. The walk home is still
makes a high point in the week to
a long one, but the girls sing happily on have someone so lovely to chat
the way back. I get cake, a game, and their with and to play with W. Not
favourite book out of my bag. It’s so good to mention the joy of getting a
to be with them again, but they don’t really
need me anymore and I don’t stay long
minute to put the dishwasher on.”
as they are all going out for supper, then A supported mother
looking forward to a busy weekend together.
Next time I will see them is for the twins
1st birthday party, to thank their family and
friends for their help and support over the year. I say to S “I’m so thrilled to be invited and
included in the family party” to which she replies in a puzzled voice “but you are part of our
family”.
A volunteer10 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
Volunteers and training
We would like to thank all the volunteers for their commitment to Home Start over this year.
We continue to hold 2 volunteer preparation courses in the spring and autumn of each year.
Over the year we have able to recruit and train 14 new volunteers to the scheme. We very
much appreciate their time and commitment to the scheme and their Home Start families.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to Kidlington Baptist Church and in particular
Helen Vallis for making us so welcome in using their facilities for our training venue. It
provides a good meeting point for both Oxford and Bicester volunteers. We hire the venue
for our preparation courses, coffee mornings and AGM.
Participants’ feedback from the preparation Courses
“ When the experienced volunteer came to talk about her first
family it was fantastic, I felt much more confident that I could
actually do this”
“ I feel totally supported by the Co-ordinators…very welcome to
contact them and discuss any issues and ask for advice”
“ Enjoyed the course well delivered by the Co-ordinators”
“ It feels like I’ve come full circle, in a positive way. I started with
wanting to help parents, particularly mothers, enjoy their
children as I did mine, I now feel that this is definitely possible”
Over this year we are proud to have established bi-monthly coffee mornings for volunteers
to meet with each other, Trustees, Staff and other agencies. These have been well attended
by all and included several training events.
In May 2 of our volunteers Catherine Goode and Theresa Frayn facilitated a training
session entitled ‘Baby shock – how having a baby affects relationships’. We would like to
thank them for this most thought provoking session.
We have been fortunate to be able to offer 2 paediatric first aid training events delivered
by Janice Morrison from Thames Training. The training was described by volunteers as
‘excellent information delivering in a fun and memorable way’. We would like to extend a
huge thank you to Janice and look forward to working with her in the future.
Karen Porter
Oxford Family CoordinatorHome-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 11
Our family support work
My role has been to work with local families who have been identified as needing support
urgently. Often these families were at crisis point in their lives.
When asked to write about my work, I thought about the areas I had supported
families with and compiled an exhaustive list: these consisted of support around benefit
applications, housing needs, debt relief orders, community grants, education, healthy
eating, accessing healthcare, budgeting,
meal planning, cookery lessons,
applications for household items,
“What you do is invaluable – clothing, school placements, school
it’s unique and very special. transport applications, liaising with local
My volunteer has had the tenancy estates managers re-anti-social
behaviour issues and many more, but
patience of a saint, fantastic ideas most importantly through my FSW
and has been very accepting of work I have supported these families
our family situation.” at a time of crisis in their lives. Many of
these families have little or no support
A supported mother and often feel disconnected from their
communities and society alike. There
were challenges along the way but
together we worked through them one by one, and I began to see the behavioural changes
in the parents – reduced anxiety levels, positive thinking, future planning for themselves and
their children, and smiles!
I often heard horror stories from the parents, and “people always say they’re going to
help and never do”. I found this incredibly sad as many of the families have had tough lives
and been let down time and time again – until they asked for help from Home-Start! We
work with the families supporting and helping them change the areas that impact negatively
on their family life, working towards a brighter future for their children and themselves.
Sam Challen
Family Support Worker12 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
A referrer’s view
At Grandpont Children’s Centre we have been delighted to work in partnership with Home-
Start Oxford over a number of years.
We have seen children and families thrive with the support offered by Home-Start’s very
committed volunteers, who have provided consistent and sensitive support to vulnerable
families. ‘Being there for me‘ was how one parent described what mattered most in her
relationship with her Home-Start volunteer.
The process for selecting and allocating a volunteer to a family is a very thoughtful and
considered process which has resulted in wonderful matches, fit for purpose, that often turn
into long lasting friendships.
Home-Start’s very professional approach to training and assessing the impact of the
service inspires confidence and has garnered a great deal of respect from the community.
We hope to continue working in partnership for years to come.
Mercedes Cumberbatch
Children’s Centre Manager
Home-Start – part of the community, in the Blackbird Leys Youth and Community
Association wall muralHome-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 13
Bicester Coordinator’s Report
At the heart of our work with families is an appreciation and understanding that it
sometimes requires a brave leap of faith for a parent to ask for or accept support. It can
appear to a vulnerable parent that all around them are coping with the pressures of
having children except themselves. A mother or father risks having their self-esteem and
confidence quickly eroded if events start to take them in a direction other than the one they
hoped to follow due, for example, to post-natal or other depression, illness or relationship
issues. Families in Bicester have continued over the year to receive wonderful tailor-made
befriending provided by our excellent team of volunteers.
Our focus on non-judgemental, open ended support is very much appreciated by
parents. We never underestimate the importance of building a trusting relationship which
can, in some cases, take time.
Progress in enhancing the confidence of
a mum who may have never been told she “I feel relaxed and calm when
is any good at anything before, and who she comes to the house. She
is wary of embracing change, requires the doesn’t criticise or judge me,
volunteer to be ultra sensitive. Referrers and
families have said “getting the match right unlike my own mum.”
was so important” or, after a while, “she A supported mother
seems like one of the family now”. Taking the
time to make the best match of volunteer
with family pays dividends as we know that this is the key to a successful relationship
developing.
Sometimes our involvement with a family has gone on well over a year, where a need is
prolonged or new issues arise. For example, caring for new born twins feels very much like
hard work for a mum coping on her own all day but the pressure increases when the babies
become mobile and want to access play equipment. Our volunteers have helped families
with twins to get out and about locally, thus reducing isolation as well as enhancing parents’
and children’s emotional and social well-being.
On other occasions we have had a much shorter involvement with a family, for example
when parents are going through separation and a house move is imminent. We have helped
a family this year where a mum with three very young children prepared for a move. Keeping
children happily occupied while boxes were packed and drawing up checklists of jobs to be
done was much appreciated and helped an isolated parent with practical and emotional
support at a very stressful time.
We have become increasingly conscious over the past year of the huge residential
building programme taking place in Bicester, the number of new families who may be
joining our community and the impact on local support services. Isolation remains very14 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
much an issue for young families, whether in a rural village on the outskirts of Bicester or on
one of the new estates, especially if there is no extended family living close by.
One family commented “Home-Start is our extended family” as we managed to help
with some of the issues a grandparent or auntie may have helped with if they had been
nearby – giving extra support during a period of illness, company to get out and about and
developing a support network.
Great appreciation must go to all the Bicester volunteers, referrers, funders and families
who have embraced the Home-Start experience. We know from the many responses and
expressions of gratitude that involvement has made a huge difference and enriched the lives
of many in the area over the past year.
Group Work
Sadly the funding for our Caterpillar Group (for parents and children who haven’t
experienced or don’t think they would like group settings) has been withdrawn from the end
of March 2013.
The Group was very well attended throughout the year. It has been very rewarding to see
parents grow in confidence as well as children flourish with the chance of social interaction
and stimulating play resources. We are mindful that the ‘time has to be right’ for a parent to
engage successfully. One particular family has dipped in and out of sessions over the year but
they became regular attendees and we have seen real progress with the confidence of both
parents and children – they are ready for the group experience and appreciate the friendly,
supportive atmosphere provided.
Parents have expressed their positive feelings about the group, saying it ‘feels different
from other groups’, being more ‘like a family’ where they can ‘relax and not feel under
pressure’. We know that this sort of group, combining gentle support and social interaction
has a valuable part to play in reducing anxiety and stress for families. Many thanks to Jill Gray
who, as well as supporting individual families, has volunteered tirelessly at this group since
its conception several years ago.
It has been a privilege to get to know so many parents and children, helping them
through difficult days and sharing in their highlights and successes. We are really sorry that
Home-Start’s connection with the Caterpillar Group has now come to an end.
Sarah Harvey
Bicester Family Co-ordinatorHome-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 15
Treasurer’s Report
The financial story is similar every year: uncertainty around sources of future funding
dominates strategic planning and resource management. 2013-14 was no exception,
although the final outcome was not
unsatisfactory, with a surplus of over
“Home-Start support helped £6,000 being recorded.
Mum with decision making and Total income increased from
£109,000 to £123,000 (+13%). Within
motivated her to clear the house
this, the total contracted service grants
for the benefit of the whole received from local Children’s Centres
family. Mum found it nice to have was barely changed at £48,000. These
someone to talk to. There was grants are, however, not guaranteed at
all, and, as we have unfortunately already
good communication between
experienced [in 2014-15], can reduce
Mum and her volunteer.” markedly at very short notice. The Big
Referrer Lottery Fund, whose grant is targeted at
the support of families in areas where we
do not receive other statutory children’s
centre funding, contributed £35,000 (£33,000) as part of a five year grant which expires in
January 2017. The BBC Children in Need grant, funding a part-time family support worker,
was unchanged at just under £10,000
though expires at the end of March 2016.
Total donations increased significantly
from £17,000 to £29,000 with the income “I am so grateful to be able to
from charitable trusts (£12,000), churches get on with simple tasks when
(£8,000), colleges (£1,000) and individuals she is here. Her help is so useful.
(£5,000) all showing increases. We are
extremely appreciative of this support for
Adult conversation and a second
our work. £26,000 of the total income was pair of hands is a ‘gift from
unrestricted. heaven.”
Total expenses increased by 4%: to
£116,000 from £111,000. Total staff related A supported mother
costs (the most important expense item)
increased by £2,000, with direct family
support staff costs declining by a similar amount (mainly due to an unfortunately high
incidence of long-term sickness) and administrative staff costs increasing by £4,000 from an
unusually low figure the year before, when the administrative position was unfilled for part
of the year. Other costs did not change significantly.16 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
We ended the year with a surplus of over £6,000 (2013: deficit of £2,000), leaving the
year-end reserves at £57,000, marginally below the equivalent of 6 months’ expenditure,
an often-cited standard for charitable organisations such as ours, but barely adequate in an
environment of short-term income volatility and uncertainty.
Looking ahead, this uncertainty of
funding is expected to continue. For
“It’s made a huge difference to 2014-15 we can already state that our
income from local Children’s Centres has
me having someone here I could
declined by £23,000, though some has
trust, who would play with my been replaced by a welcome increase in
son and I could get on with a few donations from Charitable Trusts. As a
jobs or have an uninterrupted direct consequence of this reduction in
income, we have recently had to make
shower – bliss!”
painful changes in our staffing, with two
A supported mother redundancies, and new members of staff
employed on part-time, temporary bases.
As we are conscious of an unmet need
for vulnerable family support in our communities, the funding committee is remaining very
focused on generating new sources of income, especially ones with multi-year guarantees:
shortage of resources makes this difficult, however, and we continue to have to plan with
only a short term horizon.
Douglas Keir
Treasurer, November 2014Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 17
Income for the year Total 2014 Total 2013
Children’s Centres 48,406 47,781
The Big Lottery Fund 34,959 33,045
BBC Children in Need 9,658 9,801 Copies of the full
Donations and legacies 28,867 16,815 financial statements
OSCA – 693 can be obtained from:
Other income 936 840
Total 122,826 108,975 Home-Start Oxford
Blackbird Leys Youth
& Community Centre
Expenditure for the year
Blackbird Leys Road
Practice:
Oxford
Staff 79,215 81,138 OX4 6HW
Volunteers 5,757 3,492
Beneficiaries and other 27 222
Support and admin:
Staff 13,403 9,530
Premises (incl. deprec’n) 4,976 5,358
Office equipment (incl. IT) 4,021 973
Telecomms 2,216 2,673
Stationery & General 2,115 2,178
Insurance 747 796
Governance:
Home-Start UK 1,531 1,960
AGM & Annual Report 1,054 1,053
Professional fees 918 2,049
Trustee costs 178 0
Total 116,158 111,422
Net income/(deficit) for the year 6,668 (2,446)
Cash Balances 31 March 2104 31 March 2013
Virgin Money 39,962 40,031
CafBank CafGold Savings A/C 18,766 6,210
CafBank CafCash 3,082 5,458
LLoyds TSB Current A/C 1,018 995
Cash in hand 133 117
Total 62,961 52,81118 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
Sources of income
We are extremely grateful to the following organisations, trusts and people who have made
contributions towards the support we provide to local families:
Grants and donations: Service Related Grants:
All Souls’ College, Oxford Big Lottery Fund
Christ Church, Oxford BBC Children in Need
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Bicester Children’s Centre
Ms C Coull Bicester Rural Children’s Centres
Dragon Christmas Charity Sale Grandpont Children’s Centre
Doris Field Charitable Trust North Oxford Children’s Centre
Easyfundraising.org.uk Florence Park Children’s Centre
I & D Flintoff
Garfield Weston Trust Individuals who prefer to remain
Mr & Mrs Grebenik anonymous
J Hobart
D. Keir Numerous volunteers who donated
Launton Churchwardens their expenses
Leys Community Association
Lloyds Community Fund
J Louw
Marston United Reformed Church
Merton College
Nationwide B.S.
North Oxford District Scout Gp. “Our volunteer is wonderful. She
Ms M Mendes is calming, very easy to have
Oriel College
The Queen’s College
around, and so good with the
Mrs JM Ross children. I can go to the door
St Andrews Church, Headington with my hair in a mess and she
St Frideswides Parish CC won’t assume I’m falling apart
St Michaels & All Saints PCC
Mrs EC Walker
(as others might do). Her support
Mrs D Wigmore is getting me through a very
HDH Wills Charitable Trust difficult year.”
Wolfson College
A donation from an anonymous A supported mother
charitable trustHome-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 19
Trustees and Staff 2013-14
Directors/Trustees 2013/14
Gwen Badland (to 2 June 2013)
Rosemary Bean
Romy Briant
Douglas Keir (Treasurer)
Kate McGowan (from 2 June 2013)
Alison Scott (Chair)
“Home-Start volunteers are in a
unique position to help vulnerable
Advisors
mothers cope with PND. What
you do is very special and we
Joya Banerjee
Richard Mould
all appreciate your time and
Sarah Wood dedication to our local families.”
Referrer
Staff Team 2013 /14
Family Coordinators
Sarah Harvey
Anna Laerke
Karen Porter
Family support worker
Michelle Blackstock (to 12 July 2013)
Samantha Challen (from 5 August 2013)
Administrators
Jo Garman (to 4 October 2013)
Matt Zeqiri (from 3 October 2013)20 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
Getting involved with Home-Start
Home-Start Oxford supports local families through the work of local
volunteers and relies on local help
If you would like to be involved there are a range of
opportunities:
n Become a Home-Start volunteer. Usually a
volunteer will make a commitment to visit one
family in their home each week for up to 2–4 hours
and occasionally longer – to offer support and be a
friend to the family.
n Become a trustee. Trustees are volunteers
themselves and are responsible for the work,
staff and resources of the charity. They meet
formally six times a year and between meetings
contribute in a number of ways to the running
of the charity. They are elected at the Annual
General Meeting (AGM).
n Support the work of the charity through your
skills and talents and advice either informally, or
through becoming a member of the charity or
advisor to the trustees.
n Contribute financially by making a donation,
helping with our fundraising or nominating
Home-Start as beneficiary of a local event. If you
are a tax payer you can increase the value of your
donation by completing a gift aid declaration
form.
We would welcome you joining us in any
of these roles!Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 21
22 Home-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14
Thank you
Instead of listing them by name we would like to start by saying a huge THANK YOU
to all our volunteers. They are the mainstay of our service, and their dedication and
commitment cannot be too highly praised. In addition to supporting families, they all
help Home-Start Oxford and Bicester in a myriad of different ways.
Home-Start Oxford would like also like to thank the many other individuals and
organisations who have helped us over the past year and whose support has made our work
possible.
These include:
• All the individuals, groups, organisations and trusts who have made donations and
grants; and all the volunteers who have donated their expenses
• Sarah Wood and Richard Mould, who have been most valuable advisors and supporters
throughout the year.
• Oxford and Bicester Children’s Centres
“We look forward to her visits and
I personally feel the stress and
anxiety of caring for three small
children ease considerably. That,
in turn can only have a positive
effect on the family as a whole.”
A supported motherHome-Start Oxford Annual Report 2013/14 23
And the following from whom we have received support and/or work in partnership:
• Long standing friends of Home-Start • Bicester and Oxford Community
including former trustees and volunteers Emergency Food Banks
• Speakers who support our volunteers • Orinoco (for help provided to parents)
preparation and ongoing training courses • Emmaus
• Our colleagues in Home-Start Banbury & • Paula Bailey of Fundango.
Chipping Norton, Home-Start Southern
• Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Police
Oxfordshire, other Home-Start schemes
in the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire • Refugee Resource
area and the South East Region • OCVA
• Home-Start UK and particularly Lesley • Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis
Barron from the QA team, and Heather Centre
Knox • PACT
• Staff of Blackbird Leys Youth and • Reducing the Risk of Domestic Abuse, the
Community Centre and the supporting Independent Domestic Advisor Service,
team from Oxford City Council and the Domestic Abuse Champions
• Oxfordshire County Council Early Years Network
Staff and Child Social Care Assessment • Spurgeons Young Carer’s Service
Team • Stonham/Connection Drop In
• Oxford and Oxfordshire health visitors • Rainbow House
• Connections Floating Support • Oxford and Bicester schools and nurseries
• Oxfordshire Family Information Service • Computer Assistance for their invaluable
• Oxfordshire Mind IT support
• Talking Space • Kevin Hinton for designing this report
• Rosa Curness at ASPIRE • Circus Starr for free tickets for our
• Steve Laurence and David Jones (OCC families to their wonderful show
Childcare Support Officer) • Pitchfork Productions
• Oxford and Bicester Citizens Advice • Ian & Deirdre Flintoff
Bureaux • The Queen’s College, Oxford
• OxPIP
• Bicester BabyStoreHome-Start Oxford
Blackbird Leys Youth and Community Centre
Blackbird Leys Road
Oxford OX4 6HW
01865 779991
email: admin@homestart-oxford.org.uk
www.home-startoxford.org.uk
Home-Start Oxford is a Company Limited by Guarantee (England)
Registration No. 5375011, Registered Charity No. 1108612You can also read
