What we do
What we do
Assessing a parent isn’t easy and some people need a little extra support. Home-Start Berkshire East is a local charity providing one-to-one support, friendship and practical help to parents of young children in Slough, WIndsor and Maidenhead.
Since 1996 we’ve been offering a unique service of recruiting and training volunteers. All our volunteers are parents themselves and visit and support families in need in their own homes.
Volunteers
Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do, providing practical help, emotional support, friendship and fun to parents struggling to cope with difficulties in their lives and who, for whatever reason, aren’t getting the help they need. Very often we’re the last chance they have.
Family Challenges
Families eligible for support will have at least one young child and facing challenges and difficulties ranging from mental health issues, physical or mental disability, financial deprivation, family breakdown, single parenting, multiple births, abuse, neglect or isolation.
If families crumble, communities disintegrate and children suffer. That’s why our volunteers work with parents at home to help them cope with the stresses and strains of parenthood so they can be stronger and their children can be happier.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, we supported over 400 families and 800 children through our Play and Stay groups, neurodivergent parenting courses, Army family support, and home visiting services.
Ways Home-Start Berkshire East can help
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Being alongside mums and dads experiencing post-natal depression, helping them adjust to life with a new baby
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Offering practical support with hospital visits and other appointments for parents who may feel isolated
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Providing an extra pair of hands for busy parents managing three or more children under school age
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Giving tired parents a chance to rest by taking their children to a local park or supporting with routines at home
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Supporting single parents with consistent, caring support for both them and their children
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Listening without judgement, building trusted relationships and befriending parents through challenging times
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Helping families who are new to the area meet others, build connections and feel less isolated
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Introducing parents to local services, community groups and support networks
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Being alongside families during particularly difficult periods, including when children are subject to child protection plans
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Supporting parents to prepare healthy, nutritious meals for their children
Support for neurodivergent and SEN children and their families:
- Providing tailored parenting support to help mums and dads better understand and respond to their child’s individual needs
- Offering guidance on routines, communication strategies and behaviour approaches that support neurodivergent children
- Creating inclusive group environments where children with SEN can feel safe, welcomed and able to thrive
- Helping parents navigate referrals, assessments and education or health services
- Reducing isolation by connecting families with specialist services and peer support
- Building parental confidence to advocate for their child and access the right support at the right time
“Home-Start raises self-confidence, improves social networks, reduces difficult behaviour on the part of the child and improves mental and physical health”
Every Child Matters Government Green Paper.
Help us change a child's life
Fundraise for us
By supporting Home-Start, you are helping us change the lives of children acxross the UK. There are many ways for you to get involved, whether it's making a donation, asking your friends and family to sponsor you in a challenge, getting your business involved or running your own event.
Next: Who we are