Home-Start Lorn

Who we are

Bringing up children is hard. Home-Start Lorn has been supporting families with young children throughout the whole of the Oban and North Argyll area, including the outlying villages since 1988 and on the Isle of Mull since 2012. Through our home-visiting volunteers, one to one support and group work, we offer a unique service providing practical and emotional support to parents/carers with one or more children under 5 years old.

Across our service we offer three main support options,
1) Volunteer Support- Families are matched with a volunteer to provide one to one support, friendship and respite. Support is typically 2-3 hours weekly and tailored to the specific needs of families. All of our volunteers are required to be members of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme (PVG) and complete introduction training prior to being matched with families.
 
2) Worker Support- We employ Family Coordinators in Oban and on Mull to provide one to one support, friendship and respite to families. This may be for families that need more intensive support or have complex needs.
 
3) Groups- We currently provide weekly, monthly and seasonal groupwork in Oban and on Mull. This includes Bookbug sessions, outdoor play, messy/sensory play, walking groups, baby massage, peer support groups and community cafes. All groups are free to attend following sign up where applicable.

Families have ongoing access to all three support options once registered. Registration to become a Home-Start Lorn family is free and involves an initial referral from the family or health/social care professional and a follow up visit from our team to help build a family profile and support package.