A family support service, here for parents when they need us most, because childhood can't wait.

We understand that, sometimes, parents need the offer of nurturing support and guidance. A little help can make a world of difference, so our trained family charity volunteers will visit you in your own home across Wales for between two and three hours a week to offer an extra pair of hands or a listening ear.

And because everyone is different, and each family has their own unique, individual needs, we’ll work with you to find out what you need support with, and tailor our time with you to suit that. You can also be reassured that our time with you will remain confidential.

Critical Early Years

At Home-Start Cymru, our strategy places a strong emphasis on supporting families with children in the earliest years of their child’s life, recognising that this is a critical window to build secure relationships, resilience and lifelong wellbeing. Drawing on compassionate, volunteer-led support, we work alongside families with young children to help them cope with the challenges of parenting, strengthen parent–child relationships and create positive home environments where children can thrive. More than half (52%) of the families we support have at least one child under the age of five, reflecting our commitment to early intervention and prevention.

Our impact is clear:

• 88% of parents report improved emotional wellbeing and reduced isolation,
• 99% feel more confident in their parenting skills, and 76% feel better connected to their communities.

Family relationships improve for 94% of those we support, while 93% of children experience improved emotional wellbeing.

Parents also report greater confidence in managing behaviour (61%), alongside gains in school readiness (67%), speech and language development (75%), and health outcomes (100% where identified).

Together, these outcomes show how early, strengths-based support helps families build the foundations every child needs for a healthy, happy future.

Focused on areas of greatest need

Where possible, Home-Start Cymru targets its support towards families living in areas of greatest need, using the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) to guide our reach. WIMD ranks small geographic areas known as Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) based on factors such as income, employment, health, education, housing and access to services, helping identify communities experiencing the highest levels of disadvantage. By focusing on families living in the most deprived LSOAs—particularly in more densely populated local authorities where need is greatest, including areas such as Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Swansea—we ensure our support reaches those who benefit most from early intervention.

This targeted approach is reflected in our delivery:

51% of families we support who have a child under five are living in the top 20% most deprived LSOAs in Wales.

By prioritising these communities, we are able to reduce inequalities, strengthen resilience and improve outcomes for children and families who may otherwise face the greatest barriers to thriving.