Too many families at 'breaking point'

Home-Start UK has launched a campaign to help raise funds to support more families across West Berkshire and the UK

AN UNACCEPTABLE number of young families are at “breaking point”, according to a family support charity in West Berkshire.

A YouGov survey commissioned by Home-Start UK has revealed that about 40 per cent of UK parents with children under the age of five have felt at breaking point because of the stress and strains of family life.

The survey also revealed that 63 per cent of the 1,201 parents asked acknowledged that their stress can damage their relationship with their children, with 93 per cent understanding the impact this could have on their children's future mental and physical wellbeing.

The survey findings come at a time when Home-Start has said that demand for volunteers to provide families with practical and emotional support is at a record high.

Home-Start West Berkshire manager, Lynne Doherty, said: “Every year 72 local families who feel they have nobody to turn to are turning to us for help as they face crises such as poverty and isolation.

“We support 216 vulnerable children across West Berkshire and our services are being stretched.

“And in some parts of the country local Home-Starts cannot keep up with demand.”

There are more than 330 local Home-Starts across the country supporting more than 73,000 vulnerable children, with almost 16,500 family support volunteers.

However, Mrs Doherty said the charity felt there was an “unacceptable” number of families at breaking point, adding that without the funding it needed, the charity was forced to turn away potential volunteers because it simply did not have the money to train them.

“The inevitable consequence is that struggling families and vulnerable children are left without much needed support,” she said.

Subsequently, a nationwide campaign has been launched by the charity to raise the funds it needs to help it continue to support local Home-Starts in their work with families at breaking point.

The campaign, “Childhood Starts Now”, features stories of individual children supported by Home-Start UK and for more information, or to donate to the campaign, click on the link below.