We are delighted to be joining together in a partnership with Home-Start Hampshire, a local community network of trained volunteers who support families with children aged 0-11 years through challenging times. This partnership will work to ensure that families receive the mental health support they need and deserve.

We currently support over 25,000 people each year through a comprehensive network of Wellbeing Centres, talking therapies, specialist recovery-focused services and a helpline for people across the Solent region. While Home-Start Hampshire supports in the region of 500 families each year through a combination of 1-1 home-visiting support and family support groups, including a dedicated wellness group. Home-Start Hampshire is also continuously training new volunteers to meet demand for services and has recently introduced remote training in response to the current public health crisis.

The aim with this partnership is to make sure families supported by Home-Start Hampshire have access to the mental health support they need by allowing the exchange of expert knowledge between the two organisations to create a comprehensive support service for all family members.

Solent Mind Chief Executive, Kevin Gardner says: “We have a vision and determination to support young families across the southern regions of Hampshire so that children grow up with prospects, not problems, in nurturing, resilient families. This new partnership with Home-Start Hampshire and the possibilities of what we can achieve together is a brilliant first step towards that goal.”

Already the two organisations have put together a bid for Comic Relief funding that, if successful, would see the implementation of a family liaison worker who would work closely with families not only to show them the most appropriate mental health service available to them, but also to help remove any mental or physical barriers that may make it harder for them to seek help.

Home-Start Hampshire Chief Executive, Mo Tutty says: “We are delighted to be embarking on this new partnership with Solent Mind. We share a clear vision of the support families should be able to access to ensure the best possible start in life for their children and know that together we can make that vision a reality. We believe that through this partnership we can have a positive and significant impact on the lives of families across our community.”