Tag: Home-Start Edinburgh

1001 Critical Days Foundation funding boost for Bump Start programme

STEPPING STONES NORTH EDINBURGH and HOME-START EDINBURGH AWARDED £226,000 TO EXTEND EARLY YEARS SUPPORT SERVICE

The 1001 Critical Days Foundation has awarded its first £1m in grants to charities supporting babies and families across the UK.

Following a rigorous application process, six charities have been awarded a combined total of £1m in multi-year funding to deliver frontline services to families in community-based family hubs or similar settings. Up to 1,800 babies and their families are expected to benefit from this support.

Home-Start Edinburgh and Stepping Stones North Edinburgh have been awarded £226k over three years, and are the only Scottish recipeints of the fund. The funding will support and extend a collaborative support service, Bump Start.

Bump Start provides holistic, relationship-based support from pregnancy throughout early childhood, with the aim of reducing isolation, improving parental confidence, increasing capacity to provide nurturing care, and supporting positive mental health.

Eliza Waye, CEO of Home-Start Edinburgh, said: “We know the time from conception onwards is critical. With this funding, we can extend our partnership to deliver Bump Start with Stepping Stones North Edinburgh and reach even more families.”

The funding is expected to support around 320 babies through the project.

Morag Wilson, CEO of Stepping Stones North Edinburgh, said: “Bump Start has been a vital part of our organisation for over a decade, making a real difference in the lives of babies and their families.

“With support from the 1001 Critical Days Fund and a strengthened partnership with Home-Start Edinburgh, we’re excited to expand our reach and deepen our impact where it’s needed most.”

Founder of the 1001 Critical Days Foundation and Executive Chair of the Trustees, the Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom said: “This is an incredibly proud moment for the 1001 Critical Days Foundation.

“These are our very first grant awards, and each of the six charities chosen has shown outstanding commitment to supporting babies and their families.

“Their applications were impressive, their impact is tangible, and I cannot wait to see the difference they will make in communities across the country. Together, we are determined that every baby should experience the best start in life.”

Speaking at the recent launch of the Foundation, its Patron, Lord David Blunkett, highlighted the integral role played by community-based charities.

Lord Blunkett said: “We’re not talking about professionals coming in and offering support – important as this is. But rather, mobilising the talent and strength of the community, no matter how deprived, to become part of the solution, not the problem.”

The six charities awarded funding represent geographies across the whole of the UK and offer a full spectrum of services to help give every baby the best start in life.

Home-Start Edinburgh will celebrate it’s 40th year as charity next year. It’s needs-based preventative work is delivered by highly skilled volunteers, supporting families with children under five years old.

Stepping Stones North Edinburgh is a voluntary organisation that provides support services to young parent families and pregnant women living in the north Edinburgh area.

The two organisations began partnering on the Bump Start programme in 2024. 

The five other charities that received funding are:

Literacy Volunteers

Nottinghamshire-based Literacy Volunteers delivers early language and literacy programmes in deprived communities, helping babies and young children build confidence, communication skills and a love of books alongside their parents.

They will use the grant funding to expand their “Learning to Love Books” programme in two family hubs based in communities where around 75% of families speak English as an additional language.

The For Baby’s Sake Trust

London-based charity, The For Baby’s Sake Trust, works with families to break the cycle of domestic abuse through long-term therapeutic, trauma-informed support, ensuring babies grow up in safe and nurturing environments.

The Oxford Parent Infant Project (OXPIP)

Based in Oxfordshire, OXPIP offers specialist parent-infant psychotherapy to strengthen the bond between parents and babies, supporting families facing trauma, postnatal depression, or disrupted attachment.

Thrive at Five

Thrive at Five is a national charity working to improve outcomes for children under five, ensuring they have the strong foundations needed for life and learning.

As a place-based charity working with communities facing hardship, Thrive at Five has been working alongside families and partners in Stoke-on Trent for just under five years. They will be using their funding to roll-out a pilot for Video Interaction Guidance with the goal of improving school readiness and long-term outcomes.

First year of Home-Start Edinburgh sees more families in need supported

One year on from the merger that created Home-Start Edinburgh, 17% more families have been supported thanks to increased reach and efficiency within the charity.

Home-Start Edinburgh is Edinburgh’s family charity. It was formed one year ago through the merger of two well-established charities, Home-Start Leith & North East Edinburgh and Home-Start Edinburgh West and South West. The merger has expanded the volunteer-based charity’s services to cover all of Edinburgh. Meanwhile, demand for its services has increased.

Home-Start Edinburgh’s team of dedicated volunteers support families with young children who are struggling to cope for a variety of reasons. This can include isolation, mental or physical illness, crisis or bereavement, post-natal depression, and poverty.

Volunteers often have parenting skills themselves and can offer peer support. They listen to the problems a family is facing, provide practical help, and put in place plans to build family resilience, helping to ensure the child or children have the best start in life.

In addition to in-home support, Home-Start Edinburgh runs regular groups and social events for the parents and children it supports, which help them build wider support networks. The charity also helps families purchase essential items when they are facing hardship.

The merger has expanded the reach of the charity to cover the South East of the city, and demand for its services has increased across all areas of Edinburgh. Throughout the last year, it has supported 313 families and 404 children.

Commenting on the first year of operation, Home-Start Edinburgh CEO Eliza Waye said: “I am pleased that one year on we have already seen a substantial increase in the number of families we are able to support, thanks to our dedicated and compassionate volunteer community.

“However, the need continues to outstrip our capacity, particularly as we now service the entire city.

“We have seen more families who need our services because low employment, increased financial pressures, and the lack of suitable housing options, which leads to additional stress and difficulty when you have young children.

“We have also seen an increase in needs from the growing refugee and migrant community, and more families with complex needs. As the needs continue to grow, so must we as a charity. In the coming year we are focused on growing our volunteer community and increasing our funding, helping us meet this critical need.”

Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith attended the launch of the charity, which is headquartered in his constituency, one year ago. He said:  “As the local MSP, I know from my casework how Home-Start Edinburgh is able to offer a helping hand with its range of services and support for those who need it.

“During a difficult period with the cost-of-living crisis, in the first year of their merger and re-launch, it is good that Home-Start Edinburgh has been able to help more families in our communities.

“Home-Start began its Edinburgh presence in Leith in 1986 and I am glad that the charity has expanded, so that families in all parts of the city can now benefit from their services. Please get in touch with them if you think you may be able to help. Also, thank you to all donors and volunteers for supporting Home-Start’s impactful work.”

Ester Mateo received support from Home-Start Edinburgh and is now training as a volunteer. Ester said: “Home-Start supported me when I moved into a new area with young children. They helped me find activities for my kids so they could make new friends and feel less impact from the change. 

“I knew that my volunteer would always be there when I needed help or advice. I’ve now applied to become a volunteer – this has given me a sense of purpose and achievement and I hope to help others.”