Families Why young families may need Home-Start A parent may be struggling to be responsive and patient with the normal daily demands of young children at home. There may be practical difficulties. A parent may be lonely feeling cut off or depressed. Home-Start is ideally suited to offer support, friendship and practical help to such families. The following examples demonstrate some of the situations in which Home-Start has been involved. Our volunteers can: • Be alongside mothers with post-natal depression • Provide an extra pair of hands for harassed mums • Help practically with hospital and other appointments for geographically isolated parents • Be "mum" to single parents in need of someone to care about them as well as their children • Listen to parents with marital problems and befriend them through the difficult stage of being on their own • Help families from other ethnic origins to meet new friends and feel less isolated • Provide support and a break for the parents of children with physical or mental disabilities The list is endless. Below are some reasons why families may need Home-Start. Whenever there is a parent under stress there is always a place for a caring and supportive friend. JANE had high expectations of the joys of motherhood, only to find herself suffering the anguish of post-natal depression RAJINDA said, "He just doesn't stop crying. I'm so tense now that 1 wish 1 could throw him away." MARY just sat in her top floor flat all day and wept while baby Tom "amused" himself JO felt that she had lost her identity as a person and knew that she should be more stimulating for the children, but had no motivation. If any of these situations sound familiar to you and you feel that a listening ear and an understanding person would be of support to you then Home-Start would like to help. Just contact your local Home-Start scheme and we'll do the rest.         home page