Home-Start UK
Volunteer-led, community-based support for families with young children
Over the last five critical years, Pears Foundation have stood alongside Home-Start as mission partners and have been central in what we have achieved in supporting young families. Their trust in our approach and their long-term commitment makes an extraordinary difference. Home-Start’s work with volunteers not only improves the lives of children and their families, it also helps build social connections and strengthen communities’ rights across the UK. Pears’ investment in volunteering is transformational in enabling us to grow this impact and achieve lasting changeNatalie Acton and Jodie Reed, Co-CEOs, Home-Start UK
Home-Start is a wonderful example of Britain’s culture of volunteering. Every year thousands of people join a national network of volunteers providing friendship and peer support to families in their local community, helping them to give their children the best start in life. We are proud to support Home-Start UK in its work to strengthen the network and raise awareness of the challenges that families face and the support they most need.Sir Trevor Pears
Partner since: 2020
Funding to date: £3.7million
Many families with young children experience periods when they need extra support but do not meet the threshold for statutory services. Early support can prevent challenges from becoming crises, giving parents the confidence and practical help they need to provide the best possible start for their children.
Pears Foundation has partnered with Home-Start UK because we believe in the power of volunteer-led, relationship-based support. Through a federated network of independent local charities, trained volunteers work alongside families in their own homes and communities, providing practical and emotional support tailored to each family’s circumstances. Starting in the home and built on trusted relationships, Home-Start’s approach helps parents build confidence, reduce isolation and navigate challenging times.
Our partnership has also been shaped by Home-Start’s federated model. Home-Start UK provides leadership, learning and support to a network of more than 170 independent local Home-Starts, enabling them to respond to the needs of families in their own communities while benefiting from shared expertise and a strong national voice. Alongside long-term unrestricted funding, we have supported Home-Start UK to continue strengthening and developing this network as the needs of families have evolved.
More recently, our partnership has focused on strengthening both Home-Start UK and its network of local Home-Starts. Through the Compassionate Communities and Fundraising Futures programmes, we have combined investment in the national organisation’s capacity with funding distributed through local Home-Starts to strengthen volunteering and fundraising across the network. Together, these programmes have enabled Home-Start UK to strengthen the federation as a whole while giving local organisations the flexibility to respond to the changing needs of families in their own communities.
Together, our partnership reflects a shared belief that early intervention is most effective when it is rooted in trusted relationships and local communities. By investing in both the national organisation and its network of local Home-Starts, we help strengthen support for families where and when it is needed most.