Home-Start East Fife

Home-Start volunteers play a vital role in supporting baby-parent/carer connection.

They:
👶 Encourage interactions and responsive attention
👶 Highlight the small moments of positive connection
👶 Provide practical and emotional support to make space for connection
👶 Help parents/carers to tune-in to their baby, giving the baby a voice or guessing what the baby might be thinking…
👶 Promote self-care for parents

The impact of the first 1001 days are lifelong. Which is why Home-Start’s skilled staff and trained volunteers are there for families when they need us most.

Meet Mona, one of Home-Start’s volunteers. For she tells us what volunteering means to her:

"Volunteering with Home-Start appealed to me because it’s about families with young children and I just thought ‘what a lovely charity to support’. I was on maternity leave when I applied and had some time, and the skills, to give.

"Becoming a parent is daunting. Every child is different and every family is different, it can be scary, so it's nice to give them that support.

"Volunteering is such a rewarding thing to do. You may think you don't have enough time, but you can manage it because it's only two hours a week and it’s making a real difference. You get a really good level of care as a volunteer. You're not just put in the deep end.

"I feel so proud of the families that I support and the confidence that I see growing in them".

If you have time to spare, come and join our community of volunteers. There are many ways to support families, whatever amount of time you have to give: www.home-start.org.uk/volunteer

Our volunteers have played an incredible role in supporting families over the past year by visiting each week and lending a hand. Getting out & about, going to appointments, being there to listen, helping with shopping - practical & emotional support is what they do.
Volunteers Week is a great chance to say 'Thank You' to our team!
And if you think it might be something you'd be interested in doing, get in touch for a chat.
Email us on [email protected]

This Volunteers Week we recognise the huge role our volunteers have played in supporting families across Fife over the last year. They are the and we want to thank them for their time and committment.

It’s Volunteers week - we will be celebrating our volunteers and saying thank you with a nice lunch on Friday.
We are so grateful for all our volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering with us please get in touch [email protected]

Store house opening times

Sometimes when life is particularly hard, change seems impossible. But if you look for the cracks, you might just see some light glimmering in. That could be support from friends, family or from Home-Start. So look for the light and let it shine🌟

Check all the financial support you may be entitled to, including our benefits, on The Scottish Government cost of living site: bit.ly/SGFamiliesCostofLiving

Some information from DWP

The Department for Work and Pensions - DWP is replacing tax credits with Universal Credit.

If you receive a letter from DWP and HMRC about these changes, please follow the instructions.

For more info please visit https://ow.ly/PpW050R8fNV

When we feel understood and supported, we can navigate challenges with confidence. It's such a simple thing that Home-Start provides, standing alongside families, with no judgement, just compassion.
Thanks to this mum for sharing her feedback 💜

Have a look at this lovely story below ⬇️

Wow, this story.... We are so glad that Home-Start, and Jackie, could be there for Kirsty.

Kirsty told us: “I was 19, pregnant, in an abusive relationship, with no family support. I was in a dark place and desperately trying to find help. Everything came to a head when I lost my baby daughter at full term. I was left with nothing else in my life but grief.

2 years later I met my husband and started to rebuild. I’d always wanted to be a nurse and began a nursing degree. By the time I graduated, I’d had my second son. I had tunnel vision and kept thinking once I was a nurse everything would fall into place, but it didn’t. I had a lot of unresolved trauma from my past and I was struggling. I desperately wanted a better life for my family and for my children to see me happy. I had this lovely vision of having a happy family who made the most out of every day. But I couldn’t see how to achieve it when I was constantly feeling anxious.

I knew I needed help to find me again, and not just become this person who has faced so much adversity. I was referred by to Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde. I was so ready to accept help, I just needed someone to offer it.

I was introduced to Jackie, a home visiting volunteer. Jackie got me out and about to groups and made sure I was meeting other parents. I lock things away, but Jackie helped me to talk about my feelings. The boys love Jackie; we all do. Jackie brought joy into our lives and the loveliest warm energy into our home. To watch her with my children is beautiful. Jackie helped me to remove any obstacle to achieving the happy family life I’ve always longed for.

I think the biggest difference with Home-Start’s support compared to other services is Jackie wanted to be here. She didn’t have to be, but she always showed up and dedicated her time to supporting me. It took me a while to accept there are amazing people in this world who care, and she is one of them.
_____________________
Thank you Jackie, you truly are the heart of Home-Start 💜🧡

We are all set up in Morrisons in St Andrews this morning. Please come and say hello 👋. We have lots of information about volunteering with us!

Home-Start Volunteer of the Year 2024 "Because she is Margaret! The most kind-hearted non-judgemental, selfless person you could ever meet" Home-Start Volunteer of the Year 2024 has been awarded ...

Some great information from Cosy Kingdom

Opening your windows for a few minutes a day can be helpful if your home struggles with condensation and dampness.

Adequate ventilation, even through the colder months is vital to ensure your home stays warm and dry.

'I woke up one day totally unable to walk – and baffled doctors had no idea why' Collette Jackson, 45, baffled doctors after she stopped being able to walk for five years- despite receiving sucessful treatment she is now suffering with Parkinson's side effects

We are all set up and ready meet everyone at the Rose and Thistle market in St Andrews today. Come along and say hello 👋

What is School Age Payment?

It's £314.45 per child. School Age Payment helps with the costs of preparing for your child starting at primary.

You can get the payment for multiple children, if each child is the right age when you apply.

*UPDATED 29/03/24*

Café Inc will be running throughout the Easter holidays.

Café Inc is for children and young people and provides free, tasty, healthy meals while our schools are closed. There’s no need to book, just turn up. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult, who can also have a meal.

Cafe Inc venues, along with dates and and times it will be running, are all listed on our interactive map, which is available along with other advice and help with the Cost of Living, at our.fife.scot/gethelp

The energy price cap has fallen today but if you're on a traditional prepayment meter (topped up with a key and card) your meter won't be able to update with the new lower tariff until you top up.

If you can, you should do a small top up as soon as possible to update your tariff information and make your credit last longer.

It can be difficult to know what signs to spot when someone is going through a tough time. If someone looks out of place, is acting strangely or you just feel like something isn’t quite right – try and start a conversation 👇 https://bit.ly/37c7Akf

Best Start Foods is available to you if you live in Scotland and you or your partner are pregnant, or you are the main carer for a child under 3 if you already get one of these :

Universal Credit
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit
Housing Benefit
Income Support
Pension Credit
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Best Start Foods is a prepaid card that can be used to buy healthy foods.

You can apply for Best Start Foods at any time, from the start of pregnancy, right up to the time your child turns 3 years old. There’s no income limit for this now and it’s not means tested.

Best Start Foods is a prepaid card that can help you buy milk and healthy food like vegetables, fruit and eggs. It can also be used to buy first infant formula.

Make sure you’re not missing out, find out more about benefits you may be entitled to, including Best Start Foods, at our.fife.scot/gethelp/income

Well done to all involved

We are completely blown away. Our film ‘The Reunion’ just won a People’s Choice Award at the Charity Film Awards. Thank you to everyone who voted. The film reflects the long term impact that Home-Start volunteers make and we dedicate this award to all of our incredible volunteers who do so much to change lives.

Cosy Kingdom helping with Gas and Electric debt.

Dealing with Debt Falling behind on your energy bills can be stressful and worrying. There’s help available if you find yourself owing money to your energy supplier.

Applications to enrol your child for P1 starting in August, will close at midnight tomorrow (Friday 15 March).

If your child turns 5 between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025, the application process for enrolling them into P1 is now open but will close tomorrow, Friday 15 March. If your child doesn’t turn five until after the school summer term starts you do have the choice to defer for a year.

Applications for P1 must be received by midnight tomorrow, Friday 15 March 2024.

Check out the criteria and apply online at www.fife.gov.uk/schooladmissions

You can also apply to place your child in a school that is not their catchment school. You can do this by using the same link and choosing the ‘Enrol a child into Primary 1’ form and selecting the school you would like the placing request for.

If you want to make more than one placing request, email [email protected]

Fife Families Information Service

Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there. We know motherhood isn't always easy, which is why we are here to support you. But we also know what an amazing job you do🧡