ANNUAL REPORT 2023—24
Company Number: 7952821
Registered Charity Number: 1146356
_>? HPSME #
First Floor, Central House, Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4NU
Tel: 01795 429007
E-mail: info@home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk Website: www.home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk
Company Number: 7952821 Registered Charity Number: 1146356
STAFF Lo
Manager
Allison McColl (30hrs)
Family Support Worker
Wendy Tomlin (15hrs)
Administration / Volunteer Recruitment
Rebekah Peters November 2023 (16hrs)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES La
Chair
Christine White Vice Chair
Tracy Hodges
Treasurer
Vacant position
Book keeper
Tina Bean Independent
Sylvia New
Fran Sinclair-Taylor
VOLUNTEER MENTORS Lees
Maureen Dilys Catherine Jenny (resting) Sarah Debra (retired) Alison Nwadinobi Jemma
(*recruited this year)
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS |
|
|---|---|
| WHAT IS HOME-START | 4 |
| CELEBRATING 30 YEARS / LONG SERVICE | 5 |
| CHAIRS REPORT | 6 |
| MANAGERS REPORT | 7 |
| FINANCIAL REPORT | 8 |
| FAMILY JOURNEYS | 9 |
| FEEDBACK FROM FAMILIES | 10 |
| TWINS GROUP / FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER | 11 |
| STATISTICS | 12—13 |
| VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT | 14 |
| SUPPORTERS (WAITROSE & THE WORKS) | 15 |
| THANK YOU (NATIONAL LOTTERY) | 16 |
THANK YOU (FUNDING / DONATIONS) 3 17
- What is Home Start?
Home-Start UK was founded by Margaret Harrison who set up the first Home-Start in Leicester in 1973. Home-Start UK is now the UKs leading family support charity. HomeStart UK is made up of 100+ schemes across the UK. Home-Start UK supports these schemes by providing training, policies, quality assurance, guidance and support.
Our scheme is one of six Home-Starts in Kent that visit families in crisis to relieve the strain on families in need. We are often their only life-line as other services have now been cut meaning there are reduced options for family support. We help parents cope so they can be the best parent to their children by being able to provide the love and laughter their children need to flourish.
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey was established in 1994 by our Chair Christine White. Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey supports local families in need by matching them with a volunteer mentor. Volunteer mentors are trained to provide families with invaluable emotional and practical support within the families home. Support is provided in the families homes so individuality and confidentiality can be respected. We also support parents of multiple births through our Twins Group and help guide families towards support from other organisations such as local children’s centres.
This year Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey turns 30 years old!
This year we have supported 34 families with a total of 92 children, families were supported for a total of 381 hours by our manager, family support worker and volunteer mentors. This year we had a total of 9 volunteers.
Our Volunteer Mentors truly are the heart of Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey.
HOME-STARTS FOUR STRATEGIC COMMITMENTS GROWTH IMPACT INCLUSION VOICE A collective ambition to Home-Starts will be Home-Start will advance Home-Starts will stand reach significantly more stronger together inclusion and equity in all alongside families to families we do make the case for support
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Celebrating |
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30
i years
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of supporting local families
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey are celebrating 30 years of supporting local families in 2024. Our work supporting families would not be possible without our incredible team of volunteers.
Our volunteers truly are the heart of Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey, we could not run this service without all of you.
Thank you to our wonderful volunteers.
Everyone at Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey would like to express a sincere thank you to all of our long standing volunteers, everyone on our board of trustees, our volunteer mentors and anyone else who volunteers for us. Without you local families wouldn't receive the vital support they need. So THANK YOU for volunteering for Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey.
Our volunteers demonstrate the importance of ‘one’ by being that important one for the families they support.
Long service award
Christine is the founder and chair of Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey. Without Christine there would be no Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey. Therefore Christine has achieved a long service award as she has been with Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey since day one for 30 years.
Sylvia has been with Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey for 26 years. Sylvia started as a volunteer mentor and moved on to become a member of our board of trustees. Therefore Sylvia has achieved a long service award to thank her for her years of dedication to the families she supported as a volunteer mentor and to us as a trustee.
Maureen has been awarded a long service award as she has been a volunteer mentor for Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey for 15 years.
volunteer mentors Chris Tracy Sylvia Fran Maureen Dilys Jenny Catherine Debra Sarah Nwadinobi Alison Jemma
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~~———~~ Chairs report
It has been another extremely busy year and very much one to celebrate! we have been providing support to Sittingbourne & Sheppey families for 30 years and what a difference we have made to many families across our area. My own charity Swale CVS was instrumental alongside other professionals in setting up Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey and it has been going from strength to strength ever since. I have been a trustee since the inception and still enjoy and have pride in the great work we do supporting families with children under 5 years using both our caring and excellent volunteers and outstanding and committed staff.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome a new member of staff Rebekah Peters (known as Becci within the office) who joined us in November 2023 and has made a real difference both in recruitment of new volunteers and with all the general administration duties in the office, it’s been a real pleasure getting to know you.
It has also been another fantastic year in post for our Manager Allison McColl. Allison has worked tirelessly for the families we help and support and has continued all the other myriad of duties needed to run a successful charity including bid writing, fundraising, staff management and development, report writing and during this past year working really hard on our Home-Start Quality Assurance documents and paperwork ensuring we continue as a legally compliant organisation.
Myself and all members of the trustee board would like to give a huge thank you to Allison for an outstanding year.
I must also take this opportunity to thank Wendy our Family Support Worker for her continued hard work and great commitment to Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey.
Well done to the whole team!
Finally as I do in this report each year I cannot end without giving thanks to our committed and supportive Board of Volunteer Trustees and also the many volunteers that help support and visit our families. We could not run the service without you all!
Yours sincerely Christine White Christine White Chairman
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Managers report
It has been another busy but rewarding year for I continue to support a few families each week Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey. as, first and foremost I love seeing the change We celebrate 30 years of providing compassionate that can be made with a little time and non-judgemental support for families who need a compassion, but also because I feel it helps me little TLC, when their lives look and feel like there be the best mentor for my volunteers if I know is no light at the end of the tunnel. Volunteers, what its like to be that key person for a family. Wendy our family support worker and I visit As we enter our final year of funding with the families in their own homes and do our best to lottery, I am working hard to secure more sprinkle happiness and hope like fairy dust.
As we enter our final year of funding with the lottery, I am working hard to secure more funding to continue the fantastic work we do for families. I am planning to expand our staff team and to offer additional groups for families to attend. This of course is all dependent on that all important funding.
We had 41 referrals in the period between April 2023 and March end 2024. Our Twins Group continues to thrive with 12 families registered.
We had a good response to our recruitment drive and now have 7 volunteers, 3 who are waiting to be introduced to families in September and 4 who are completing their training. We now offer an E-learning course for new volunteers to work through at home, with 8 hours contact time with the manager or a face-to-face course of preparation that can be covered in 5 working days or over 3 consecutive weeks making it a much quicker process for everyone.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful Board of Trustees, my staff who are so committed to all we do, and of course the volunteers without you all we would not be able to give families that light at the end of the tunnel.
I hope to be writing this report again next year and celebrating more successes with you.
We welcomed Rebekah Peters to our small team in November 2023 as our administrator and volunteer recruitment lead. Wendy was able to commit to more hours and this enabled her to increase her case load to 8 families a week.
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Yours sincerely
Allison McColl
Allison McColl
Manager
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Financial Report
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey are now in their final year of National Lottery community funding.
The Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey manager is currently actively seeking funding opportunities to enable us to continue our vital work with young families in the community beyond March 2025.
The manager continues to work closely with the Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey board of trustees to monitor and progress our financial sustainability moving forwards.
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Family journeys
Local families are supported by our volunteer mentors, family support worker and the manager. Here are some of the families journeys from 2023-24.
Mum was referred to Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey in May 2023 by her Early Help Worker. Mum is married with three children and was struggling with child 2’s behaviour which had left her with low confidence and feelings of being overwhelmed and out of her depth with her role as a parent
Mum was offered weekly support for 1.5-2 hours which she accepted. Mum was provided with:
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a listening ear,
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timely advice and signposting to other services/organisations,
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time to gather her thoughts and feelings and be able to process them,
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time to discuss any concerns worries in a relaxed and trusting environment,
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time to discuss and listen to strategies for managing child 2’s behaviour,
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an opportunity to experience laughter and just relax
It was lovely to see mum becoming more confident in managing child 2 and relaxing into her role as a mum. Over time the behaviour issues had been greatly reduced, which had a huge knock-on effect for the whole family.
‘‘I don’t normally accept any help, but you have made that change, you have showed me that I can trust, be unjudged and be supported by such an Mums thank you card captured how Home-Start amazing lady. You have made the last year feel Sittingbourne & Sheppey has helped. like a breeze and that I can tackle anything.’’
Mum referred herself to Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey in early 2024. I started supporting the family in March 2024. They are a family of 3, mum, dad and young baby. Mum self-referred as she was struggling with being a first-time mum after experiencing a traumatic birth which left her with PTSD and post-natal depression. Mum also has epilepsy so she fears having a seizure whilst on her own with child 1, therefore her anxiety stopped her from going out without dad present.
The family were very isolated as mum’s sister is the only family either had in Kent, they did not see her much anyway therefore mum often felt very lonely.
I signposted mum to a new parent class at their local children’s centre and encouraged her to book onto it. Mum was very nervous about this, but she did book, both mum & dad attended the first 2 then mum completed the rest on her own. Mum then received a graduation of parenthood certificate in July. With some gentle encouragement, mum also went to another baby group at the centre where she was able to meet new people and make some mum friends which made a huge difference to her confidence.
I was working with the family until July as they moved away to be closer to dad’s family. Mum was nervous about the move but also looking forward to having support from his family as she does not receive any from her own. Mum unfortunately started having seizures again which are mainly triggered by tiredness and stress. The move means mum will be able to get more rest knowing that child 1 is in safe hands.
Mum asked for some advice when she started weaning child 1. I loaned her one of the ‘Eating well for the first 5 years’ packs from the office which she found to be really helpful. I also showed her a great book for simple recipes that can be frozen in single portion sizes.
‘ ’Mum told me that I have changed her life and she will forever be grateful. Dad agreed with this and said that mum was a wreck and had fallen apart but my visits have put her back together again.’’
When I had my last visit with the family mum was quite emotional and said she will really miss me.
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Feedback from families
We asked the families we support what does Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey mean to you? “ Help and support that is needed when you most need it. I can’t thank this charity enough for getting me back up on my feet as a first time mum (thank you so much).’’ ‘’Having a helping hand from someone that trust is built.
‘’Home start is amazing they help me a lot and they are very good for family that need a little help with things.’’ — “ _Having the extra support even just to have someone to talk to has been so helpful and a relief to know we are not alone.’’
Having someone to talk to and get advice from regarding topics that are child based. “ Being able to have a second set of eyes to help keep my children entertained.’’
“
I have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Allison. She has been my ray of sunshine when she visits me every Monday.
I have really struggled and sometimes still do but I hear Allisons voice in the back of my head helping with her words of wisdom.
‘’Home-Start have been amazing—Wendy especially. Always arriving with a smile and listening ear. My home life is very stressful (4 children with additional needs) and having visits from Wendy is such a joy and helps take my mind off all the stress.’’
She has helped me with breathing techniques and the tips for the kids were amazing.
I will miss this when we finish in July but know I have the best building blocks to keep going. “ Thankyou x.’’
‘’It gave me someone to talk to after I moved and didn't really know anyone or the area, they have been a great help supporting me through my journey. I’ve enjoyed having the reassurance that I’ve always had someone to talk to.’’ a
To me, Home-Start have been a massive help both with activities for the boys but also as an outlet for me to just vent when things have been stressful. I am super grateful to Wendy my Home-Start Volunteer. Thank-you so much.’’
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Twins Group
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Twins Group report
For parents of multiples 4 years old and under
We have had another successful year with the Twins Group at Milton Court Children’s Centre. We have welcomed several new families and will be saying goodbye to a family who have been with us since the twins were a few months old but they are now going off to school in September.
The group is currently made up with mainly babies who are all around the same age. The mums all get on really well which is lovely to see as the babies will grow up together within the group as friends. I take a craft activity for the older children which they all enjoy and the home corner and sand tray are always very popular. I usually set up the a baby corner with play mats, cushions and sensory toys but as they are becoming mobile, they have now started to explore the room more. We have 2 park meet ups planned for the summer holiday which the families are looking forward to and they are also able to bring older siblings to this.
We asked twins group attendees what does twins group mean to you?
It’s nice to have somewhere to go to connect “ with other twin mums to chat and for my twins to mix with other children. Lovely welcoming staff.‘’
“Confidence and feeling part of a unique twin parent community.’’
‘’I really love this place. My twin boys spending really nice time here. Very professional, helpful staff. We are very happy to coming here and spend time with all mums and kids, highly recommend.’’
Family Support Worker report
I have the capacity for 8 families. We have recently ended with a few so I am waiting to be introduced to some new families in the coming weeks.
A lot of my families suffer with depression and mental health issues as well as isolation and loneliness. Having a weekly visit which provides them with some adult conversation and the opportunity to ‘rant’ and talk freely with no judgement is sometimes their lifeline and what gets them through the week. I take a sticker/craft activity for the children which we often complete during the visit. Sometimes it is left for mum to complete with the child another time.
Some families have also needed some practical support for e.g.; form filling for applications, getting out of the house and behavioral management.
For the families that we have ended with, I have taken a small gift of a toy and book for the children which everyone has been very grateful for.
I really enjoy my work and have a great deal of job satisfaction in knowing that I am making a difference to people’s lives and offering much needed support.
Yours sincerely Wendy Tomlin Wendy Tomlin Family Support Worker
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STATISTICS
Total number of referrals received: 41
Total number of families supported: 34
(24 home visiting, 10 twins group) (please note that this figure includes families carried over from the previous year)
| Family circumstances Lone parent ~~Be~~ |
5 |
|---|---|
| Speech and language issues Domestic abuse |
1 5 |
| Adult with disability Child with disability |
2 1 |
| Adult with ADHD/Autism | 1 |
| Child with ADHD/ Autism | 3 |
| Adult mental health | 12 |
Total children supported throughout the year: 92
Children supported ages
| 3 - 5 years female | 22 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 + years female | 10 | 1st April 2022 - 31st March 2024 (0-2 years) | 27 |
| 1st April 2019- 31st March 2022 (3-5 years) | 35 | ||
| 3—5 years male | 45 | Before 31st March 2019 (6+ years) | 26 |
| 6 + years male | 15 | Unknown / unspecified | 4 |
Needs identified by family at initial visit
| Level of coping on day of initial visit 0 = not coping very well 5 = coping very well |
Level of coping on day of initial visit 1 ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ |
3 ~~GG~~ |
4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managingchildren’s behaviour ~~DR~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
8 ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
6 ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~DR~~ |
2 ~~DR~~ |
| Beinginvolved in the children’s development/learning ~~DR~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
8 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
6 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ |
| Copingwithphysical health ~~DR~~ |
~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
3 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~DR~~ |
~~DR~~ |
| Copingwith mental health ~~DR~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ |
4 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ |
4 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~DR~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ |
| Copingwith feelingisolated ~~RQ~~ ~~a~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~RQ~~ |
6 ~~GG~~ ~~RQ~~ |
8 ~~GG~~ ~~RQ~~ |
2 ~~RQ~~ |
1 ~~RQ~~ |
| Parent’s self-esteem ~~a~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ |
10 ~~GG~~ |
8 ~~GG~~ |
3 |
|
| Copingwith child’sphysical health ~~aDR~~ |
~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
4 ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ |
| Copingwith child’s mental health ~~DR~~ |
~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ |
1 ~~DR~~ |
| Managingthe household budget ~~DR~~ |
~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~DR~~ ~~GG~~ |
~~DR~~ | 1 ~~DR~~ |
| The day-to-dayrunningof the home ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
2 ~~GG~~ ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ |
| Stress caused byconflict in the family ~~GO~~ |
~~GO~~ | 4 ~~GO~~ |
~~GO~~ | 2 ~~GO~~ |
1 ~~GO~~ |
| Copingwith multiple birth/children under 5 ~~GO~~ |
1 ~~GO~~ |
3 ~~GO~~ |
3 ~~GO~~ |
2 ~~GO~~ |
1 ~~GO~~ |
| Use of services ~~GO~~ |
~~GO~~ | 8 ~~GO~~ |
5 ~~GO~~ |
4 ~~GO~~ |
~~GO~~ |
| Other ~~PG~~ |
~~PG~~ | ~~PG~~ | ~~PG~~ | ~~PG~~ | ~~PG~~ |
STATISTICS ess
Length of support for families that ended support in 2023-24:
| Under 6 months | 5 |
|---|---|
| 6 -12 months | 5 |
| 1 year to 2 years | 3 |
| 2 years to 3 years | 0 |
| Over 3 years | 3 |
All of our families are supported weekly through home-visiting carried out by the Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey manager, family support worker and volunteer mentors (excluding those who are supported by attending our Twins Group). The manager also visits each family to carry out reviews, during these visits scoring sheets are completed to demonstrate the progress of how Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey support is going. During 2023-24 a total of 16 families ended support. Support ends for numerous reasons such as—the family no longer has a child under the age of 5 because their youngest starts school, the family has moved out of the area or the family feels they are in a better position and therefore no longer require our support. The manager visits each family wanting to end their support to complete an ending visit. During this visit a final scoring sheet is completed to demonstrate if the families needs identified during their initial visit were met during their time of support.
Outcomes of needs identified by families at initial visit who ended support in 2023-24
| Needs identified ~~a~~ |
Achieved Partl ~~a~~ |
Achieved Partly achieved Not achieved ~~a~~ |
achieved Not achieved ~~a~~ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing children’s behaviour ~~GD~~ |
7 ~~GD~~ |
4 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Being involved in the children’s development ~~GD~~ |
6 ~~GD~~ |
4 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Coping with physical health ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ | 4 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Coping with mental health ~~GD~~ |
3 ~~GD~~ |
4 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Coping with feeling isolated ~~GD~~ |
4 ~~GD~~ |
3 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Parent’s self-esteem ~~GD~~ |
4 ~~GD~~ |
5 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Coping with child’s physical health ~~GD~~ |
2 ~~GD~~ |
4 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Coping with child’s mental health ~~GD~~ |
1 ~~GD~~ |
2 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Managing the household budget ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ | ~~GD~~ | ~~GD~~ |
| The day-to-day running of the home ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ |
~~GG~~ | ~~GG~~ |
| Stress caused by conflict in the family ~~GG~~ |
1 ~~GG~~ |
3 ~~GG~~ |
~~GG~~ |
| Coping with multiple birth/children under 5 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ | 1 ~~GD~~ |
~~GD~~ |
| Use of services ~~GO~~ |
2 ~~GO~~ |
~~GO~~ | ~~GO~~ |
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Volunteer recruitment ~~—~~
The manager was aware that the pandemic and financial crisis were huge factors in the general decline in volunteer numbers. This is being felt across the Kent local schemes and is not just in Swale. Therefore the manager was keen to get a fresh perspective on ways to recruit new volunteers. When I joined Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey in November 2023 I was given the role of volunteer recruitment lead.
Lastly, targeting our publicity when posting on local forums online generated a great response, making a huge impact on our volunteer recruitment success this year. Targeting social media posts guarantees that the potential volunteers we are appealing to can see our posts. For example, I would post about our volunteering opportunities alongside a poster onto local mum groups on Facebook.
In November 2023 Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey had five volunteers and zero potential volunteers expressing interest. As of March 2024, fifteen potential volunteers’ have expressed interest, six of which have attended an initial meeting with Allison the manager to discuss our volunteering opportunities further and complete an application form. My volunteer recruitment drive and the initial meetings have resulted in Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey having great success this year. We have gone from having five volunteers to a total of nine. Meaning in under six months we have almost doubled the number of volunteers we have.
I found the most successful new way of recruiting volunteers was by posting a job advertisement on indeed. I posted our advert twice, posting it to both Sittingbourne and Sheppey. I found doing so massively increased our reach. When writing the advertisement I wrote from the heart and used language appealing to potential volunteers caring side, I feel doing so made a huge difference.
I also found refreshing our current volunteer recruitment publicity (posters & leaflets) to have a great impact. I revamped our publicity making it more inviting, colourful and inclusive. I also aimed posters towards certain types of volunteers, e.g. one poster towards the older generation and one towards a younger generation. I targeted these posters by using different language & photos as I recognise that both groups have differing goals they would like to achieve from volunteering. I feel that targeting posters towards specific groups meant we were able to appeal to a larger pool of potential volunteers.
I am so delighted to witness my hard work result in so many more wonderful volunteers joining our team. Without volunteers Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey wouldn’t be able to offer the incredible compassionate and nonjudgemental support to local families in need. I am so thankful to be part of such a wonderful team. I look forward to continuing being part of this team and having even more success to share next year.
Volunteer statistics (as of March 2024)
10 recruited from indeed, 5 recruited from social media
| Number of volunteers expressed interest | 15 |
|---|---|
| Number attended initial meeting | 6 |
| Number awaiting a response from at time | 5 |
| Number unable to commit | 4 |
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Yours sincerely
Rebekah Peters
Rebekah Peters
Volunteer Recruitment Lead
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Thank you for your support.
Christmas 2023 donations. For Christmas 2023 we were delighted to receive generous donations from Waitrose & The Works.
Waitrose & partners ~~a~~
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey were very pleased to receive a generous donation of large soft toy snappers from Waitrose Allington. These toys were the focal point of the renowned 2023 John Lewis advert. The snappers were wrapped by the Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey staff and gifted to local families by our volunteer mentors, manager and family support worker.
The Works
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey also received a large selection of toys which were generously donated by The Works in Sittingbourne. The Works ran a promotion at Christmas allowing customers to purchase 3 for 2 on toys, encouraging customers to donate one Nye of the toys purchased to The Works selection of toys for charity. A tree with tags on was put up in store. Each tag had either boy or girl on with an age, therefore customers could then choose an applicable gift to donate. In 2023 The Works chose Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey as one of the charities to donate these toys from customers to. We then gifted these toys to local families at Christmas. We had a few toys left over ( therefore surplus toys were gifted throughout the year to families when necessary. 4
Thank you for your donations. On behalf of everyone at Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey we would like to express our gratitude and thanks to those who generously donated toys for us to pass onto local families at Christmas. These gifts were greatly received and cherished by local families. Christmas can be a difficult time of year for families that are struggling, these gifts really helped make local families 2023 Christmas magical again.
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National lottery community fund
Thank you. Everyone at Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey would like to express a heartfelt thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund for providing vital funding for the past 2 years. We have now entered our final year of funding with a remaining total of £46,201.
Without your support we wouldn't be able to provide local families with the vital emotional and practical support they need.
Left to right: Vice Chair Trustee Tracy, Chair Trustee Chris, Trustee Sylvia, Trustee Fran, Manager Allison (standing), Administration & Volunteer Recruitment Rebekah
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Thank you.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following who have provided funding and/or donations throughout the year 2023-24. Without your support local families wouldn't be able to receive the vital emotional and practical support they need.
Funding
Thank-you to the following for providing vital funding for our core work.
The Lottery Community Fund (£133,986 over three years to fund core work)
Kent Community Foundation (£16,000 funding below)
Lawson Endowment for Kent (£5,000 to fund core work)
The Vanquis Social Impact Fund (£5,000 to fund core work)
Child, Young People and Young Families (£6,000 to fund core work)
Donations
Thank-you to the following organisations for providing greatly appreciated donations.
Thank-you to Waitrose & The Works for your generous donation of toys at Christmas in 2023.
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FINANCIAL REPORT
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2024
First Floor, Central House, Central Avenue, Sittingbourne,
Kent, ME10 4NU 01795 429007
- info@home startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk www.home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk Find us on Facebook
Company Number: 7952821 Registered Charity Number: 1146356 18
- I CHARITY (OMMISSION ' FOR E(AND AND WAIES Independent examlner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Roport to th• trustees HOn-start SrttiryJbourne & shePY On accounts for lh• y•ar •nd•d 31 March 2024 Charlty no (If any) 1146356 Set out on pag•s I repofl to Ihe trustees on my examlnalion of Ihe accounls of the above chanty (-Ihe Tntst-) lor Ihe wr ended 31103 12024. R•sponslblllti•s and basls of report As tts chartys truslees. you are responsible for the preparation of I accounts in accrx(lance Ihe rw]uir8ments ol tho Charities Acl 2011 Act-) I report in respecl of my eXarninatn of tts Trust's accounls Carried (xrt under seclK)n 145 of the 2011 Acl arKI in caryirKJ out my 8xarninatK>n. I have followed all Ihe applicable Throciions given by the Charity Commission under sect 1495Xb) of the A Indendent I have completed my examina. l eonfKm Ihal no malerial matters have Oxamlner's statement come to rny attenibon in COnnectn wth the examinaln which gives me cause to believe Ihat in, any material respect: the accountirvJ records wefe TK*i kept in accordance vith section 130 of the Chanties Acl: or the accounts did noi accord Vlith the 8ccountTng records., or the accounts did not comply vath the applicable fequiremenls concernirvJ the form and conieni of accounts set OLrt in the Chanties (Accounts 8nd Reports) Regulatiorts 2c8 other than any requirem8nl th81 the accounts give a Irue 8fKI fair. view vthich is r•Ot 8 matter consDder8d as part of an Indeperrflent examination. I have no concems and have come a¢xos5 no olher matters in connection with Ihe examination lo which attention should be drawn in this report In order to enable a proper understandirvJ ol the accounts to be reatrd. Slgnod: Oat•: 13 AU$l 2024 Nam•: Jenny Carter Rolovanl professlonal qualificatlon(s) or body (If any): APpld Th'pknna in Cryrale Banking Addr•ss: 3 Denial aose Siltingboum• Keni ME10 10T IER Oct 2018
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Age 3
Age 3
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First Floor, Central House, Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4NU 01795 429007
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01795 429007
Company Number: 7952821 Registered Charity Number: 1146356
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