Home-Start Wessex Online Volunteer Training

Home-Start Wessex Online Volunteer Training

Home-Start Wessex is a charity dedicated to giving families with young children the best possible start in life. They provide confidential practical and emotional support, usually delivered through trained volunteers who visit families in their homes for a few hours each week or help lead supportive family groups. The aim is to build parents’ confidence, strengthen relationships, and reduce isolation by working alongside them through challenging times—including mental health issues, postnatal depression, financial hardship, bereavement, and more.

Volunteers are the heart and soul of Home-Start Wessex— helping deliver support across Dorset, including Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester, Weymouth, Bridport, and parts of Hampshire and Wiltshire. These volunteers are specially trained and may offer support in various roles, such as:

Home-visiting volunteers, who spend two to four hours a week with families—lending a listening ear, offering practical help (like establishing daily routines or accessing local services), and tailoring their support to each family’s needs.

Family group volunteers, who help run drop-in or referral-only groups that offer safe, welcoming spaces for parents and children to connect, share experiences, and build supportive networks Volunteers receive full training, ongoing support, and reimbursement for reasonable expenses. Many report that volunteering not only benefits the families they support but also enriches their own wellbeing, confidence, and personal skills

“As a volunteer, I learnt so much about myself and it’s a very rewarding activity. We help other people, we support families and we learn about different things.”

For the first time we are offering an online hybrid training course. Setting aside a day a week over a couple of months isn’t always easy and so we are excited to offer you an online hybrid version. This will entail a day course on Friday 12 September 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. via Teams – hosted by Heidi and my colleague Michelle, we will cover 3 main components of the course: mental health, domestic abuse and safeguarding.

After this one day, you will be signed up to our online portal ‘The learning Centre’ where you can complete the rest of the course in your own time within 2 – 4 weeks.

Please contact Heidi@homestartwessex.org.uk for an application form. Applications need to be submitted by 29th August 2025. If you have any further questions, please do get in touch.