Home Start wants to see a society in which every parent has the support they need to give their children the best possible start in life.

Home-Start Mission

Home-Start offers support, friendship and practical help to parents with young children, in local communities.

Home-Start offers a unique service. We recruit and train volunteers who are usually parents themselves to visit families at home who have at least one child under five and offer them informal, friendly and confidential support.



To help give children the best possible start in life, Home-Start supports parents as they grow in confidence, strengthen their relationships with their children and widen their links with the local community.



Schemes work towards increasing the confidence and independence of the family by:

• offering regular support, friendship and practical help to families with children under five
• being available to families who are experiencing frustrations or difficulties
• visiting families in their own homes where the problems exist and each individual’s dignity and identity can be respected
• developing a relationship with the family in which time, flexibility of approach and understanding can be shared
• encouraging the parents’ strengths and emotional well-being for the ultimate benefit of their children
• reassuring parents that difficulties in bringing up children are not unusual and encouraging enjoyment in family life
• encouraging families to widen their network of relationships and to use community support and services effectively.

Home-Start volunteers support families at least once a week, or more often if needed. Research indicates that families most value:

• the relationship which they develop with the volunteer
• the flexible approach
• the time offered
• the fact that volunteers are parents themselves and have regular support and supervision from the Home-Start co-ordinator.

Home-Start National Office Ireland is a member of Home-Start International