is to help give every child the best possible start in life.

Is to enhance the chances for all young children to reach their full potential by supporting the whole family, encouraging them to face their particular challenges, increasing the parents’ confidence, strengthening their relationships with their children and widening their links in the local community.

Our families face a wide range of issues, including mental and physical health problems, multiple births, a lack of confidence and isolation from their community. Many of our families have children with behavioural issues and/or learning difficulties that make their parenting challenges even harder. In most cases the families are referred to us because they have little or no other support.

Parenting can be tough at the best of times but with additional challenges facing many young families such as poor mental and physical health, neurodiversity, disability, cost of living crisis, illness and family breakdown, many parents really struggle to cope.

Home-Start Wokingham offers a free and unique Home-Visiting Support Service to vulnerable and disadvantaged families, with at least one pre-school child, living in the Wokingham Borough. These families are often socially excluded, living in isolation and have little if any other support.

We are passionate about improving the life chances of our families and this starts at the earliest stage by helping parents give their children the best possible start in life. We do this by listening to the needs of each family and providing compassionate and non-judgemental support each week in the families’ own homes.

Every family is different and so the support offered is tailored to suit the needs of each individual family, helping families face their challenges and empowering them to cope better in the future.

We offer bespoke guidance, parenting tips, encouragement, role-modelling of good parenting behaviours and emotional and practical support. Through weekly visits, we provide a listening ear and a hand to hold, building relationships based on trust and friendship. Where appropriate, we signpost parents to other organisations in their community, widening their support networks.

We support families for a minimum of 3 months and up to 6 months where necessary. Our service has been tried and tested since 1996 and according to the families we support, it can be life changing. With our support, the health and well-being of the whole family improves, helping ensure their children reach their full potential so that they can really thrive. We are currently the only organisation offering this level of support in the Wokingham Borough, improving the lives of up to 100 families a year.