Volunteering

Volunteering with us is exciting, rewarding work.

It requires energy, commitment, reliability, creativity - and a sense of humour! There are two main capacities in which you can volunteer with us: as a Home-Visiting Volunteer or to be part of our Board of Trustees.

Home-visiting

We need people from all ages, backgrounds and genders! No qualifications are necessary - just listening skills, understanding, discretion, commitment to the families you visit and a willingness to share your (parenting) life experience.

We ask our home-visiting volunteers to commit between two and three hours per week to visit a family. These visits are arranged for a mutually convenient time Monday to Friday - or weekends if both parties would prefer.

Training

All volunteers are provided with access to The Learning Centre, our online learning platform, which offers a wide range of relevant courses. New volunteers also attend a one-day, in‑person training session. In addition, volunteers can take part in wellbeing sessions and access further training aligned with the needs of the families they support.

Safeguarding Checks

We often work with very vulnerable families. It is therefore essential that all volunteers within our scheme are thoroughly vetted. All volunteers, Home-Visitors and Trustees, must be members or willing to join the Scotland Disclosure PVG scheme - as well as giving two personal references.

Expenses

Volunteers are fully reimbursed for all out of pocket expenses (including travel) that are incurred whilst on Home-Start business.

How do I become a Home-visiting Volunteer?

Across the UK thousands of Home-Start volunteers visit families at home each week, supporting parents/carers in situations as diverse as isolation, bereavement, multiple births, illness, disability or who are just finding parenting a struggle. They provide non-judgemental practical and emotional support and help build the family’s confidence and ability to cope. Home-Start runs more services and has more volunteers supporting more families than any other family support charity in the UK.

All Home-Start schemes are supported by Home-Start UK, which provides training for staff, volunteers and trustees, information and guidance on governance, legal and human resources issues and help with fundraising and communications.

A quick guide to becoming a Home-Start Home-Visiting Volunteer:

• You can commit 2-3 hours of your time once a week
• You should be able to commit at least six months of your time to Home-Start
• You should have a non-judgemental attitude and understand about the pressures of bringing up a family
• You should enjoy meeting new people and spending time with adults and children
• You can commit to attending our free Volunteer Training Course (c. 15 hours over several days or via our online training portal) before meeting your first family
• You can expect to be reimbursed travel expenses during training and while you support a family
• You must understand that your support for families is completely confidential
• You will have to become a member of the PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) scheme (paid for by Home-Start Lomond)
• You will be supported by your local Home-Start scheme Coordinators during the time you are visiting families

Quotes from Our Volunteers

Volunteer 1
"It’s rewarding when I can see a difference with my Mum since I started working with her, we’ve built a good friendship and I’m glad I’m someone she can trust and rely on."

Volunteer 2
"I have so enjoyed forming a relationship with the children and love to watch them develop in confidence and live their lives. I also love seeing Mum enjoying her parenting more and feeling at ease with her children. It has been such a rewarding experience for me."

Volunteer 3
"Volunteering for Home-Start Lomond has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. From seeing a family struggling to no longer needing your support is a feeling like no other".

Knowing that you can help change someone’s life is amazing and Home-Start Lomond have let me do that for two amazing families so far.

I would definitely 100% recommend volunteering for Home-Start Lomond".

Volunteer 4
"I love it, I get so much joy from seeing my family, the boys now run to me and call me nanny. Mum is opening up and relaxing more, I can see improvements in her wellbeing and it’s a privilege to be a part of that."

Volunteer 5
"One of the most enjoyable things to do, is being part of their journey and watching them grow with confidence."

Click here to download our Volunteer Application Form »

Completed Application Forms should be emailed to: admin@homestartlomond.org.uk