Volunteer for Home-Start Merton!
By volunteering just a few hours each week you can transform the lives of young children and their parents in your community.
Be a Home-Start Merton
Volunteer
No special qualifications are necessary to become a Family Support Volunteer. Having an interest in, and experience of, young children and family life or lived experience yourself is suitable for this role. By giving your time freely, listening and talking will empower families to overcome struggles they are experiencing. We welcome volunteers from all sections of the community.
Volunteers are offered initial training, on-going training and regular support and supervision. There are opportunities for ongoing training, informal events and gatherings for you to meet other family support volunteers.
Support is offered in the family’s home or within our group settings.
Family Support Volunteer
The purpose of this role is to provide compassionate, non-judgemental support and practical help to families from baby’s conception to age 5, in their own homes for 2-3 hours a week. This support is designed to ensure parent-child relationships flourish, reduce isolation, and help families build confidence and routines. Support may include:
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Providing a listening ear and encouraging conversation;
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Sharing parenting experiences and practical suggestions;
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Helping parents access community services, accompany them to appointments, manage routines, or simply getting out of the house
This volunteer role with Home‑Start Merton offers a meaningful chance to create real, positive change in your local community—providing empathy, practical help, and stability during children’s vital early years.
We ask that home visiting family support volunteers are parents themselves or have had experience in a health profession such as health visiting, midwifery or a teaching profession such as teaching.
Please reach out to us if you are unsure if you would be suitable to home visit, we would love to hear from you!
Perinatal Family Support Volunteer
Similar to the role above, the purpose of this role is to provide compassionate, non-judgemental support to families for 2-3 hours a week. Families under the perinatal project offer receive 3 months of home visiting support.
As a Perinatal Family Support Volunteer with Home‑Start Merton, you will be:
- Matched with expectant or new parents experiencing low‑level mental health challenges, isolation, or stress.
- Visiting the family in their home for up to 3 hours per week, offering emotional and practical support.
Support may include:
- Providing a listening ear and encouraging conversation.
- Sharing parenting experiences and practical suggestions.
- Helping parents access community services, accompany them to appointments, manage routines, or simply getting out of the house.
This volunteer role with Home‑Start Merton is ideal if you have parenting experience, a caring nature, and can commit a small but meaningful amount of time each week. You will receive thorough training and support, helping families through crucial times while gaining personal and professional growth.
Big Hopes Big Future Volunteer
School readiness is key to a child’s success and happiness. In this role you will provide kind, compassionate and non-judgemental informal support to parents and their children under 5 in areas such as:
- Playing together
- Talking together
- Establishing routines
- Encouraging children’s independence in areas such as using the toilet, getting dressed.
Support may include:
- Accompanying a family to a toddler group.
- Playing with a child alongside mum to promote, language skills, sharing and imagination.
- Providing non-judgemental emotional support to increase a parent’s confidence around bedtime routines
You will receive training which will include family support strategies to promote school readiness, as well as fun materials and ongoing guidance from our expert Family Support Co-ordinators.
Group Volunteer
The purpose of this role is to support Home-Start Merton in delivering peer support groups to help support families in Merton. Volunteers play a vital role in helping us support families in Merton who need that extra little bit of support. Group volunteers are integral to the running of our groups as it allows to build a safe and supportive environment for families.
We currently run 2 groups:
- Little Stars – Wednesdays, 11am-1pm in Mitcham.
- Little Steps – Thursdays, 10am-12pm in Colliers Wood. Starting in October.
Previous volunteer experience or experience of being a parent/carer is a plus, but not essential for the group volunteer role.
What we offer
- A chance to make a real difference in the Merton community.
- An opportunity to gain experience and develop new skills.
- Ongoing training and support through supervision.
- A welcoming and inclusive volunteer and staff team.
- References for future employment or education after 1 year of volunteering.
- Become part of a wonderful volunteer community with ongoing socials and forums.
- Opportunity for additional training modules (e.g. perinatal mental health, first aid, safeguarding, parent-infant relationships).
- Volunteer expenses are reimbursed for both training and visits.
- Personal development: gain new skills, confidence, and insight into early years, mental health, and family support. Many volunteers report improved wellbeing and transferable skills helpful in careers or studies.
What we ask from volunteers (in addition to the above):
- Be able to commit at least one year of your time to Home-Start;
- Have a non-judgmental attitude and understand about the pressures of bringing up a family;
- Be able to attend the Volunteer Preparation Course. The course is a mix of 2-hour e-learning module and 3 days face to face with a member of staff to be arranged at a mutually convenient time;
- Must understand that your support for families is completely confidential.
- Submission of 2 references;
- Meet regularly with, and be supported by, one of our co-ordinators should this be the time you are a volunteer;
- To complete an application form and send in a CV (preferred) so that we get to know you as well as we can. If you do not have a CV, please do not let this put you off applying, please summarise your experience and employment history in your application. We would love to hear from you!
Training to be a Home-Start Merton volunteer
It is important that all volunteers receive regular training, support, and supervision throughout their time with Home-Start.
All volunteers undertake a free Course of Preparation. New volunteers often feel concerned, anxious, and nervous about supporting a family for the first time but our Preparation Course is designed to allay those fears and answer all the questions you may have.
The course is designed to do 2 things:
- Prepare the volunteers for things they may encounter as a home-visiting volunteer which they may not have thought about.
- Help the co-ordinators to get to know each volunteer better. This is essential if the co-ordinators are to make a successful match between family and volunteer.
The volunteer preparation course consists of 2 hours of e-learning, completed in agreement with the family support coordinator. It is designed to be flexible, fitting around your schedule. Once the e-learning is completed, volunteers will attend three days of face-to-face training. The e-learning course is structured with multiple-choice questions, rather than tests or exams.
As a volunteer you will receive different levels of ongoing support and supervision. When you are matched with a family you will receive regular supervision from your co-ordinator. At these sessions you are able to discuss the family you are visiting and any other issues you are concerned about. It is always good to hear how well everything is going too.
Volunteers will also have an annual review with the Scheme Manager so there is an opportunity for feedback and review.
There is also an opportunity for further training and development as regular training is available for volunteers. This includes training such as Safeguarding, First Aid, Home Learning Champions, and Big Hopes Big Futures, to name a few.
For an informal chat about whether volunteering is for you please email us – admin@homestartmerton.org.
Volunteer testimonials
“I have been around a long time and attended quite a few courses, but nothing prepared me for this! I found myself quite frequently on the outside looking in on myself realising that life as I knew it would never be the same again. Before the course, although you do not realise how blinkered about what, why and how families can face such difficulties. The realisation is extraordinary and you feel nothing but empathy and the need to help them as well as you can for their benefit and of course your own personal reward, knowing you have made an impact in someone else’s life, if only a little. Home-Start’s approach to the course was second to none, we had highs and lows but plenty of laughter too! I particularly found the visual exercises enlightening! Throughout the course volunteers are made to feel valued and if some of the subject matter became evocative, we were respected enough to take time out if need be. Yes, the course evoked a lot of feeling but that was necessary to understand how one must feel in certain situations and helped us all in turn with our own personal demons. I would advise anyone planning to work in the social sector to take this course immediately! It will change your life for the better.”
“I had an amazing roller coaster ride of emotional awareness of abuse. I was made to realise I am assertive, it was always in me, I just needed to believe in myself. It awoke the adult in me; I am no longer the scared child I once was. I’m now the butterfly I always knew I was, and now I’ve broken free from my cocoon of sleep, I’m able to let my wings dry, and explore any destination I choose in my new adventure of being grown up.”
“The placement at Home-Start Merton was a great learning curve for me and interesting, it gave me great expereinces. The location was suitable, environment enabling, and the staff were very supportive, kind, and helpful. Working with Home-start Meron professionals and learning from their vast expertise enabled me to build my confidence; it was a great benefit for me and helped my career development. Working with children and families in Home-Start provided me with a wealth of experience and with the necessary skills for future placement in community work. I feel I have made good progress as I have begun to develop my understanding of social work and develop the skills required in line with PCF/KSS Social Work England. The placement was a success.”
Other ways to volunteer for Home-Start
From fun runs to fundraising balls and social events, there are many opportunities for willing hands
Home-Start Merton run additional services to support their work, such as:
- Healthy eating sessions
- Money matters
- Social activities like trips to the seaside, farm and more
- Helping with fundraising – from quiz nights, bridge tea afternoons, raffles, fundraising dinners, or glitzy fundraising balls
So, if you want to get involved, get in touch and let us know what you have in mind.
Could you plan and over see how Home-Start Merton will support families. Being a trustee is all about the governance of the Charity.
Trustees serve on the governing body (board) of a charity and are responsible for directing the management and administration of it.
You would have a wide range of duties and be responsible for making the charity effective, providing overall direction and maintaining sound management of funds. Could you provide:
- General business management?
- Financial and legal expertise?
- IT knowledge?
- Human resources experience?
- PR & media skills?
- Knowledge of family support issues in the community?
- Safeguarding knowledge and experience?
Then we would be happy to hear from you.
You would carry out a wide range of duties and be responsible for making the charity effective, providing overall direction and the sound management of funds. You would commit to a minimum of 8-10 hours a month.
Become a Home-Start Volunteer Today
Home-Start’s team of trained volunteers make sure a child’s early years count. By volunteering just a few hours each week you can transform the lives of young children and their parents in your community.