Spring has Sprung!

Last month we held several Easter-themed family events: one in Chichester Bishops Palace Gardens – a secret gem, right in the heart of the city—and another to support the families in the north of the district. We were blessed with gorgeous, sunny weather and around 40 people attended each time.

For families who are anxious and rarely take their children outside, our events are a low-key, friendly way of introducing them to new areas and socialising with our staff, volunteers, and other families. It’s a really positive first step in getting them out the house, into green spaces and building their own supportive social network.

A family from overseas, who had been facing a difficult period marked by discrimination, attended the Easter event with their volunteer. This challenging time had left them feeling unsafe in their own home and isolated in a country where they know few people. However, they had a wonderful experience at our Chichester event with their little boy running around joyfully searching for the eggs!   We are very grateful to Rotary Chichester Harbour for donating the Easter eggs for our various events.

What’s new?

We also have several new volunteers starting this month, following their period of training. The volunteers are trained by our Manager, Lois Rowlands, during a 7-week preparation course. It’s interactive and enjoyable: one volunteer described it as ‘life-changing’. The training encourages the volunteers to think deeply about other people’s situations and the helping relationship they’re about to embark upon. Our dedicated volunteers are the lifeblood of Home-Start Chichester & District, and we are so thankful to them.

We are also delighted to welcome our new Play Leader, Ruby Cartwright, to the team this month. She brings energy and enthusiasm to the role and she’s already settling in nicely.

Our course for parents ‘Understanding Your Child,’ has just started. This course follows the Solihull Approach which is an evidence-based programme that encourages parents to reflect on their own, often challenging, childhood experiences to understand how these might influence their interactions with their children. By learning to observe their child, they can better understand their needs. This understanding helps create empathy, reduces the likelihood of harm, and fosters healthy, secure attachments, building happier families.

The course would not be possible without the creche, which is currently being run by our volunteers, one of whom is qualified  in Level 3 Early Years Childcare. This is fantastic but in order for this to be sustainable long-term, we will need to secure funding for a dedicated external creche organisation.

We look forward to sharing our summer newsletter with you. In the meantime, thank you to all our supporters. We couldn’t help families in Chichester District to thrive without you.