Home Start Portsmouth awarded £112,000 by BBC Children in Need

Home-Start Portsmouth has been awarded a grant of £112,000 over three years and this money will fund Home-Start Portsmouth’s Big Hopes Big Future project.

The project will help make a difference to the lives of children and young people facing disadvantage right here in the local community.

Big Hopes Big Future is aimed at families with children aged 3-4 years-old with the overall outcomes of improving children’s ability to engage with school life, getting parents more engaged with children’s early learning, and getting volunteers more engaged in promoting home based early learning.

Jo Toms, Chief Operating Officer at Home-Start Portsmouth, said: “This project helps us provide vital support for families to make sure children get the best start in school. We know through evidence-based research and a proven track record of success, that with the right foundations in place at home, children can thrive into school and adulthood. Starting school is such a monumental step in a child’s life, it is a privilege to assist with this step and support families in Portsmouth through this transition.”

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Support is tailored to each individual family situation and volunteers support parents to develop and maintain good relationships within the family.

They help parents deal with behaviours, their own feelings and they encourage activities which nurture positive relationships with children.

Home-Start volunteers recognise that children develop at different rates and respond to the needs of diverse family situations following specific training, to then in turn show parents how to establish a positive environment.

The project has been run by Home-Start Portsmouth for years and in the past year, the charity has seen a 94 percent improvement in literacy and numeracy skills from children supported through the project.

Pam Bacon, Regional Impact Officer, South East at BBC Children in Need, said: “We’re delighted to continue funding Home-Start Portsmouth’s Big Hopes Big Future project. Vital funds donated by the public allow BBC Children in Need to provide positive environments where parents and children can learn, engage and develop secure nurturing relationships with one another.”