Is there a typical Home-Start Volunteer?
Absolutely not. Volunteers come from all walks of life – from teenage mothers who help other young mums and parents whose children have just started school to ’empty-nesters’ and grandparents. The only qualification is that you have to be a parent or have parenting experience – perhaps as a step-parent or carer for siblings. We like to think that above all else volunteers are the kind of people our families would choose themselves as a friend. So, friendliness and a caring attitude are essential as well as an understanding of the pressures of parenting. we value people who don’t judge others; people who will respect the fact that they have been invitied into a family’s home; people who will treat a mother or father as equal. It is essential to enjoy the company of children and to be reliable and trustworthy and, of course, it helps to be a good listener.
