Before Christmas I had the privilege to address Home-Start Medway’s AGM over at the splendid Gillingham Golf Club (which I discovered the Mayor is the honorary president of!).

I have been a councillor for over 17 years now, I have seen a lot of budgets, sat on many committees and read innumerable reports about life in Medway. It remains a source of great sadness to me that so much of our Council spend is needed to address brokenness and the consequences of brokenness, providing in cases where people’s lives have spiralled out of control, where families and households have been torn apart, with the impact most keenly felt by children.

Home-Start’s overarching aim and mission statement is that every parent should have the support that they need to give their child the best start in life ‘because childhood cannot wait.’ Under Raz Goodred’s excellent leadership and through the fantastic band of volunteers, Home-Start supports Medway parents and carers to grow in confidence, to strengthen their relationships with their children and to widen links with their local communities.

 

Much of their work is delivered in the family’s own home, and the sense of support, reassurance and commitment that must convey to those needing their help has been a huge contributor to the wonderful outcomes we heard about. The testimonies from victims of domestic abuse who have been supported through their awful, traumatic experiences was both harrowing and yet paradoxically also heart-warming to hear – you could not help but come away with a sense of hope.