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About Us

Home-Start Butser was established in 1998 by the local community to support families with young children.
It covers a large area of East Hampshire, from Greatham in the North to Rowlands Castle in the South.
See map of area we cover.

To help give children the best possible start in life, Home-Start Butser supports parents as they grow in confidence, strengthen their relationships with their children, and widen their links with the local community.

Local volunteers with parenting experience are recruited and trained to support families who have at least one child under five years old.
They visit families weekly for a minimum of two hours, offering them practical and emotional support.

Families are referred to Home-Start Butser from many sources, including Children's Services, Health Visitors, GPs and Housing Associations. They can also self refer.
Problems experienced by families are wide-ranging, and include physical or mental health issues, including post-natal depression, multiple births, and geographical or social isolation: any difficulties that might endanger the family or the children.

		How we at Home-Start can help Being a parent, wherever you live or whatever your situation, is not easy. Many parents feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the stresses of family life with under-five's. It is even more difficult if family or friends are unable to offer support and a breathing space when most needed. Some parents lose confidence in their ability to cope and most can remember when they would have liked someone to turn to. Everyone needs a hand sometime.
Many of our families receive a weekly home visit provided by one of our trained Volunteers. The volunteers, who are usually parents themselves, offer 2-3 hours each week in order to support one or more families. They help their family to cope with the everyday stresses of life. So they may help mum to get out with the children, go with the parents to visit their child’s school, or look after the children while mum completes household chores or gets some rest. Some of our families also attend one of our Family Groups which meet weekly around the area, and many also benefit from our Summer Outings. We are also able to provide free access to information on a wide range of family issues.