At Home-Start West Berkshire, we pride ourselves on the real impact we have on the lives of the families we support. This week, we share a story of a family whose life has been changed by the powerful support of Home-Start.
Chinyere* and her family were referred to our service in March 2024 by the Health Visiting Team. Chinyere was physically and emotionally affected by baby loss and was struggling to parent her two boys in her grief. Chinyere had experienced domestic abuse and was finding her feet after becoming a single parent in a new place. There were money worries and her second child, Emeka* was not meeting his speech and language milestones.
Emeka joined our Hello! Early Years’ Speech and Language Group and grew in confidence and began babbling and interacting with staff and volunteers. The family also received the support of a home-visiting volunteer, who provided mum with some much needed respite to recover physically from her baby loss. Mum rested while the volunteer took the boys to run around the park and play at the soft play centre. The volunteer noted that Emeka’s speech develops throughout their visits and his concentration on games and activities also improved. Her final visit noted that he has settled in well to nursery.
During support, the Home-Start team were able to offer much needed support from the Baby Bank, providing clothes and toys for the children. The family received presents and warm gifts of pyjamas and dressing gowns at Christmas. To alleviate the pressure at its worst, we supported Chinyere with referrals to the Foodbank.
Chinyere told us, “Home-Start showed human empathy and emotional connection, which I had not always received. I felt less alone. It was a big deal for me to ask for help and I didn’t feel shame due to the support and kindness.
The speech and language group helped. It was somewhere for us to go to help him build his confidence in a group setting and new environment. I really appreciated seeing him develop. He was able to say about 3 words to now having so many more words and phrases.
It is amazing how Home Start have helped my family. You have made a big difference.”
*Names have been changed for anonymity