Home-Start UK: generating sustainable income

Because of our work: Home-Start UK has secured an LSF grant of more than £27,000 to develop a sub-contractor model in local areas. Home Start Lincolnshire secured a place on the Local Employability (ESF) framework.

Home-Start is one of the leading family support charities in the UK. Home-Start volunteers help families with young children deal with the challenges they face, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children. There are 269 local, independent Home-Starts across the UK and its 16,000 volunteers help to support 30,000 families and 60,000 children. Home-Start UK is the lead body for the federation local Home-Starts the UK.

Home Start UK recognised the challenges facing local schemes as they struggle to maintain services in a time of reduced Local Authority income and fierce competition for grant funding. Home-Start wanted to explore the potential for selling products and services to the public sector via commissioning, tendering or partnerships. It worked with Hall Aitken to explore the potential for new products such as LENA, a communication toolkit to monitor a child’s development.

Stage one: identifying opportunities and threats

We have worked with Home-Start for a number of years and on a variety of projects. We discussed the possibility of bidding for Local Sustainability Fund (LSF) support to develop commissioning links between the national and regional schemes. We identified potential challenges arising because not all local Home-Start schemes and connections with potential partners or fully understood local commissioning processes.

Stage two: pursuing opportunities

We worked with Home Start UK to submit a LSF proposal to develop new approaches to contracting with commissioners. This work included

• developing a theory of change for an employability project based on the Home Stat UK volunteer model.
• local investigations commissioners in Lincolnshire to explore opportunities in that region.
• Developing potential for LENA by researching commissioning approaches and opportunities in 20 areas.

Stage three: Successful bids, better process and effective networks

We prepared a successful application to LSF and final reports for LSF, LEAN survey work and network mapping in Warwickshire. The project has led to further work in Warwickshire, Kent and the North East to explore new partnership opportunities.