Training & Preparation

Home-Start Volunteers are usually parents themselves or have had parenting experience, they choose to share their time, friendship, parenting skills and experience because they understand the demands and stresses of a young family. All volunteers are carefully selected, prepared and supported for their work with families.

Volunteer Training/Volunteer Preparation Courses

Home Visiting

The Volunteer Preparation Course usually takes place 1 day per week over an 8 week period. Topics covered include:

• Family Values and Attitudes
  
• Family Life and Supporting Parents
  
• Parents and their children
  
• Child Protection
  
• Listening
  
• Confidentiality
  
• Home-Visiting
  
• Role of a Home-Start Volunteer
  
• Being a Volunteer

There is also on-going training on how the volunteer can help, and how to enable parents to enjoy bringing up their children.

On-going Training

Training is identified usually by the co-ordinators and from feedback given at volunteer supervision or as a result of issues raised at volunteer support meetings.

ON GOING TRAINING FOR VOLUNTEERS

Training usually takes place at Dunard Street (for volunteers only) or at Avenue Park Street for (volunteers and families) when a bigger room is required.

Topics Available Include:

• Child Protection
  
• Child Behaviour
  
• Sexual Health
  
• Pampering for Mums
  
• Healthy Eating for Children
  
• Drugs Awareness
  
• Disability (Autism)
  
• Cultural Awareness
  
• First Aid for Children
  
• Challenging Children's Behaviour
  
• Leisure Passports for parents

Family Group (with creche provision)

There are Training Sessions for the Family Group that can also include volunteers and staff. Topics are organised in response to requests from the group at a given time or identified by the group as a need.

Sexual Health
Child Behaviour
First Aid for Children
Pampering for Mums
Healthy Eating
Stress Management

Who can attend?

Training is available to past and present volunteers.
Where appropriate, families will be included and/or mums from other groups including Maryhill Integration Network. This will be of benefit to families in several ways; integration, skills and knowledge, sharing of experiences, less isolation, friendship.