Home Start Groups

At Home‑Start Medway, we believe that families flourish when they feel connected, supported, and part of a community. Each week, we run a variety of friendly, welcoming groups for children under five and their parents or carers.

Two of the groups we currently deliver (Little Adventurers and Tiny Talkers) are targeted groups to support children that are not meeting age expected levels of development.

Delivered from venues across Medway, our sessions provide a safe and enjoyable space for families to learn, play, and build relationships.

What Our Groups Offer

🎨 Engaging Activities for Children
Our 1½ – 2 hour sessions are filled with fun, stimulating activities — from sensory play and crafts, to stories and movement — all aimed at supporting children's development in a relaxed, playful environment.

🤝 Connection and Peer Support for Parents
Parents and carers have the chance to meet others, share experiences, and grow their support networks. Many families tell us the friendships formed in our groups make a lasting difference.

📍 Accessible Community Locations
We run groups across Medway to ensure families can join us wherever they live.

Holiday Sessions & Family Days Out

During school holidays, we offer additional themed sessions and — when funding permits — special family days out. These experiences provide families with opportunities to enjoy new activities, make memories together, and feel part of a caring community.

Support Local Families & the Army Community

As a Home‑Start volunteer, you can play a vital role in supporting our Army community. Volunteers help run groups from the local Barracks at Brompton and Invicta Park Barracks in Maidstone. The groups are for spouses and children of serving Army personnel, offering a warm welcome and a steady presence during challenging times.

By giving your time to these groups, you can help families facing:

• Loneliness and isolation
• Separation due to deployment or work patterns
• Anxiety and stress
• The pressures of everyday parenting

Become a Volunteer Trustee

Joining Home‑Start as a Volunteer Trustee is a meaningful way to use your skills, experience, and passion to help shape the future of our organisation and strengthen support for families across our community. Trustees play a vital role in ensuring that Home‑Start Medway continues to deliver high‑quality, life‑changing services for parents and young children.

What Does a Volunteer Trustee Do?

As a Trustee, you will be part of a dedicated board responsible for the strategic direction, governance, and financial oversight of the charity. Your role may include:

• Setting the vision and values of the organisation
• Helping shape strategy and long‑term planning
• Ensuring financial stability and effective use of resources
• Supporting and challenging the senior staff team in delivering services
• Championing the charity within the local community and beyond
• Ensuring we meet legal and regulatory requirements

You don't need previous Trustee experience — just enthusiasm, good judgement, and a commitment to supporting families with young children. We welcome people from all backgrounds, including those with lived experience of the challenges our families face.

Benefits of Becoming a Trustee

🌟 Make a lasting impact
Your decisions help create stronger, more resilient families and shape services that support parents during some of their toughest moments.

🌟 Develop new skills and experience
Trustees gain valuable experience in leadership, governance, strategic planning, charity finance, safeguarding, and more — skills that support personal and professional growth.

🌟 Expand your network
You'll work alongside passionate volunteers, professionals, and community partners, building meaningful connections across different sectors.

🌟 Use your expertise for good
Whether your strengths lie in finance, HR, early years, community engagement, business, education, or lived experience, your knowledge can help guide and enhance our work.

Children & Family Hubs

Our Children and Families Hubs and Wellbeing Centres also host services from partner agencies, including Health, Midwifery, and voluntary organisations such as Home-Start and Family Action.

We aim to inform and guide parents through the journey of parenthood, helping them connect with their children through positive interactions. We also offer support for parents who may be struggling to make ends meet.

Our trained volunteers are at the heart of the support we provide through our Children and Families services. They work alongside parents and carers who may be facing challenging times, offering regular, friendly, and non-judgemental support.

Whether it's a listening ear, practical help in the home, support at appointments, or encouragement to build confidence and parenting skills, our volunteers ensure families never feel alone. By building trusted relationships, they help parents feel stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to give their children the best possible start in life.

Fundraising & Events

At Home‑Start Medway, our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Their commitment, energy, and generosity make it possible for us to support local families when they need it most. From organising and assisting at community events to running stalls, marshalling, and raising awareness across Medway, our volunteers help bring people together for a shared purpose.

Both funding and volunteer time are essential resources for any charity, and Home‑Start Medway is no exception. As a trained volunteer, you become a valued ambassador for our organisation—representing our values, spreading positivity, and helping more families learn about the support we offer.

Whether they're planning fundraising activities, collecting donations, or representing us at local events, our volunteers play a crucial role in sustaining our work. Thanks to their dedication, we can continue providing vital support to parents and children throughout our community.