About Home-Start
Our Vision
Every parent has the support they need to give their children the best start in life.
Our Mission
To empower parents to develop the knowledge, skills and resilience to enable their children to thrive.
Our Values
Be Compassionate
We approach every individual with kindness and care, guided by empathy and understanding, placing the needs of others at the heart of our work.
Be Holistic
We care for the whole person and work with the community to make lasting and meaningful change.
Have Integrity
We act with honesty, transparency and hold ourselves to account with genuine commitment to do what’s right.
Always Listen
We value every voice, listening with respect and ensuring each person’s experiences help shape the decisions we make.
Show Dedication
We give our best each day, working together and supporting one another, because we believe in the difference we are here to make.
Who we are
Home-Start Norfolk helps children and changes lives. Working with families with young children, we support them to cope with whatever life throws at them.
We believe it is crucial to support families to deal with problems before they become a crisis. Through providing the right support at the right time we help parents learn to cope, improve their confidence and create better lives for their children.
The first five years of a child’s life, between birth and starting school, are vital for their development. What happens during these formative years within a family strongly determines the life chances and opportunities children may have.
Children who are raised in a positive, loving, stable, family environment are far more likely to have a positive, happy, healthy future.
Home-Start works because our volunteers are parents. They understand how hard it can be. They work alongside parents, in their own homes, to help them cope with the stresses and strains of life and make sure they have the tools they need to give their children the best start in life.
Helping families across the whole of Norfolk
In 2024/25
Families helped
Children supported
Volunteers
What we do
Home-Start Norfolk provides support to address many local issues and needs, including:
- School readiness
- Mental health
- Social and rural isolation
- Healthy eating
Families that are struggling with these, and many other issues receive the support of a volunteer who will spend around two hours a week in a family’s home supporting them in the ways they need.
Areas we cover
We are a countywide service covering the whole of Norfolk. Our office is based in Swaffham
Family Stories
Finding Confidence Again
For months, Mum and her children rarely left the house, Mum's anxiety and fear for her daughter’s health keeping them isolated from the outside...
A Mother’s journey towards a brighter future
Imagine being thousands of miles away from your home, in an unfamiliar country away from your friends and family. Imagine the weight of motherhood...
Parents Supporting Parents
Marie, a devoted volunteer and mother of six, knows first hand the challenges of raising children with ASD/ADHD. Empathetic and armed with...
A Mum’s experience of BABY PEEP
“I’ve seen my baby make amazing progress over the 6-weeks of the course. He really engages during the sessions and is much calmer afterwards. His...
Tackling Isolation
Mum Rachel was referred into Home-Start Norfolk by her health visitor. Rachel has a medical condition which significantly impacts her mobility....
Alex’s Story
Alex was referred to Home-Start Norfolk by Norfolk’s Early Childhood and Family Service. He has five children under the age of seven and is the...
Lisa’s Story
Depressed, with low mental health, and struggling to cope with her daughter's behaviour, Lisa from Norwich turned to Home-Start Norfolk for support....
Nick and Jane’s Story
New parents, Nick and Jane’s life got switched upside after the birth of their son, who has a rare disability. Pregnant and struggling to cope, they...
Lisa’s Story
“Last July my beautiful daughter Emma died just before her 27th birthday, leaving behind her 11-week old son MJ. The next day my husband Mick died...
Projects
Over many years, we have developed more specialist projects or integrated specialist skills into our staff and volunteer teams.
Funding Received to Support Norfolk Families
A group of forward-thinking business leaders who are passionate about Norfolk’s community and making a difference have joined forces with Norfolk...
Home-Start Norfolk Centre of Warmth
We are excited to have been designated as a Centre of Warmth under a new 2-year partnership with energy infrastructure company partnership Cadent...
Empowering Families to Thrive
We are so pleased to announce that we have been awarded funding from Nationwide Building Society funded project – Empowering Families to Thrive. How...
Current vacancies
If you are interested in any of these opportunities please contact 01603 977040 or email admin@homestartnorfolk.org
Home visiting volunteers
We are always looking for volunteers to join our community!
Home-Start Norfolk’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.
Our volunteers receive free training and are given expert support in helping families from all backgrounds through their most challenging times.
By being a volunteer for Home-Start Norfolk you will:
- make a difference to parents and children facing great difficulties.
- give something back to your local community;
perhaps even return the support you once received from Home-Start.
As well as changing the lives of others, volunteering has a huge impact on the person giving their time. Research shows that our volunteers see:
- better health and well-being
- improved personal and skills development
- improved chances for work
- more self-confidence
Volunteering is a great thing to do if you are preparing to return to work or to progress your career – or simply if you just want to do something amazing with your spare time.
For more information about volunteering for Home-Start Norfolk fill in an enquiry form and our team will be in touch
Join Home-Start Norfolk's Team
Volunteer Engagement Co-ordinator
Hours: 30 hours
Salary: £23,072 – £24,908 actual (FTE £28,455 – £30,720)
Location: Home working with travel across Norfolk
Summary of role
We’re looking for a passionate and proactive Volunteer Engagement Co-ordinator to help grow and strengthen Home-Start Norfolk’s amazing volunteer community.
Volunteers are at the heart of what we do, providing vital support to families across Norfolk. In this role, you’ll lead on the recruitment, training, engagement and retention of our volunteers, helping us attract the right people and ensuring they feel supported, valued and confident in their roles.
We’re looking for someone with experience of recruiting, developing or supporting volunteers, excellent communication and organisational skills, and a genuine commitment to community engagement and inclusion.
Closing Date: 5:00 pm Monday, 14th September 2026
Interview Date: Thursday 24th September
Click here for a detailed job description and to apply.
Become a Home-Start Trustee
At Home-Start Norfolk we review the skills and experience across our board on an annual basis and are currently seeking a new trustee who would add value to the ongoing development of our workforce, both staff and volunteers.
Living and shaping the behaviours and values that are essential to encourage a nurturing environment within the families we support is central to the development and sustainability of our organisation.
Working together with compassion and without judgement we are looking for an individual who will help us continue to build organisational culture and values in order that our staff, volunteers and families continue to learn and grow together. Our unique service is as relevant today as when our movement was founded almost 50 years ago and we need to be ready to support more families.
For an informal chat email ELT@homestartnorfolk.org
Our staff
Executive Leadership Team
| Liz Cross | Managing Director |
| Natalie Spurdens | Head of Service Delivery |
| Caz New | Head of Funding & Development |
Family Service Coordinator’s
| Sharon Hearsum | Norwich |
| Sam Charvonia | South Norfolk |
| Jo Bridges | North Norfolk |
| Emma Cooke | Great Yarmouth |
| Mel Baker | King’s Lynn & West Norfolk |
| Em Fletcher | Breckland |
| Charlotte Grief | RAF Marham |
| Claire Keron | Covers all districts |
| Sarah Woodall | Groups Coordinator |
Volunteer Training Team
| Sharon Travis | Training & Volunteer Development Coordinator |
| Rosanne Bulloch | Sessional Trainer |
Marketing, Finance and Administration
| Natalie Gotts | Finance & Governance Officer |
| Sam Holmes | Business Support |
| Amy Bloodworth | Marketing Officer |
| Niamh Kelly | Community Fundraising & Engagement Officer |
Our trustees
Trustees
| Lynne Stabler (Chair) |
| Matt Hector (Vice Chair) |
| David Lefevre (Treasurer) |
| Anita Millar |
| Niall McClelland |
| Claire McDougall-Richards |
| Natalie Smith |
| Fran Fairbairn-Harvey |
| Helen Tully |
Our patrons
Patrons
| Lady Phillipa Dannatt MBE |
| Ann Keable MBE |
| Lady Clare Agnew |
| Trisha Goddard |
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.