Chair Person Report
We continue to provide a valuable lifeline to so many families across Aberdeen City
Chief Excecutive Report
We remain dedicated to providing families with support and friendship and we strive to be there for every family who needs us, when they need us, for as long as they need us.
205
Families Supported
265
Children Supported
92
Volunteers
14,116
Volunteer Hours
97%
of children experienced a more nurturing family environment, helping them to meet their developmental milestones
96%
of children had improved health and wellbeing
97%
of parents felt their wellbeing had improved, allowing them to better meet their children’s needs
99%
of families felt more resilient and better able to cope with challenges
97%
of children experienced a more nurturing family environment, helping them to meet their developmental milestones
96%
of children had improved health and wellbeing
97%
of parents felt their wellbeing had improved, allowing them to better meet their children’s needs
99%
of families felt more resilient and better able to cope with challenges
Helping support the relationships that matter most
Children’s earliest years are of crucial importance and will affect the rest of their lives. Young children need nutrition, good health, safety and security, responsive care and early learning opportunities to support their growth and development. Not just their physical growth and development but also their emotional wellbeing and mental health.
Infant mental health refers to how well a child develops socially and emotionally from birth to age 3 and describes their capacity to form close relationships; express and manage emotions; and learn about their environment.
From day one babies are born learning. Their brains grow and develop faster than at any other time in life, creating billions of connections. The first few years in life are the best opportunity to develop this network of brain connections. Brains are built in stages, with more complex structures built on simpler ones so its crucial to get the early years right and to lay a solid foundation to serve as a basis for later development.
Science has shown that the relationships with the important people in an infant’s life literally shape and form the development of their brain. It’s within these special relationships with parents and other caregivers that strong foundations are laid for their emotional, cognitive, and social development.
Simple, moment-to-moment, every-day interactions with responsive parents and caregivers are like the bricks that build sturdy brains. Singing, playing, talking and reading; soft touch, cuddles and soothing; routines and boundaries; exploring and socialising – these are like the bricks that build strong and healthy brains. Caring and loving interactions help a child feel safe and secure and help their brain develop a strong and healthy network of connections which set the stage for higher level skills to develop later in life – things like motivation, focus, problem solving, getting along with others. These are things that affect a person’s ability to learn and do well in school and in life
Every parent wants to give their child the best possible start in life but often things can get in the way of that – things like poverty, poor parental mental health, lack of a support network, domestic abuse, relationship breakdown, having a negative experience of being parented.
This is where Home-Start Aberdeen comes in. Our support can ease these pressures and help parents to deal with the barriers and challenges they face, helping to create a space where relationships can be nurtured and children thrive.
This is at the heart of everything we do – read on to find out more about how our work helps to build better futures for babies and children.
Children’s earliest years are critically important and will affect the rest of their lives. Young children flourish when they are raised with good nutrition, a healthy, safe and secure home environment and responsive care.
We know that from pregnancy to the age of five, our children’s brains grow and develop faster than at any other time in their lives. They create billions of connections in their brains; around a million each second! These connections lay the foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour and health.
Simple, moment-to-moment, every-day interactions with responsive parents and caregivers are like the bricks that build sturdy brains. Singing, playing, talking and reading; soft touch, cuddles and soothing; routines and boundaries; exploring and socialising – these are like the bricks that build strong and healthy brains. Caring and loving interactions help a child feel safe and secure and help their brain develop a strong and healthy network of connections which set the stage for higher level skills to develop later in life – things like motivation, focus, problem solving, getting along with others.
“We see the profound influence of parents, carers, grandparents, friends, early years workers and neighbours. How their attention, tenderness and curiosity act as both a catalyst and support for her social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.” – Professor Eamon McCrory, University College London
Every parent wants to give their child the best possible start in life but often things can get in the way of that – things like poverty, poor parental mental health, lack of a support network, domestic abuse, relationship breakdown or having a negative experience of being parented themselves.
And that is where Home-Start Aberdeen comes in. Our support can ease these pressures and help parents to deal with the barriers and challenges they face. We help to create a space where relationships can be nurtured and children can thrive. This mission is at the heart of everything we do – supporting families to give their children the best start in life.
Read on to find out more about how our work helps to build better futures for babies, children and their families
This year we supported 17 families with annual passes for Aberdeen Food Pantry. and working closely with the Safe team an additional 19 families accessed money advise and emergency food provisions.
“ We are very grateful. the food pantry fund has been a real life-line to me and my family”
At Christmas we supported 68 families through our All Wrapped Up For Christmas campaign. Local people and businesses donated very generously and we were able to give 145 children winter gift packs containing a warm winter coats and a selection box.
“Thank you so much for everything and for giving my children a magical Christmas”
We identified that many families were missing out on the opportunity to share fun experiences together, which are so important for families’ health and children’s development. We offered 34 families vouchers for a day out at Aberdeen Science Centre.
“We had an amazing time and I just loved seeing the joy on my little boy’s face as he took it all in.”
Our Volunteers
My Story
TALATU
My Story
CAROL
Group Support
Recipe for Life
Our Recipe for Life service supported 41 families with their cooking skills and advised on healthy eating, weaning, nutrition, healthy childhood weights and meal planning. Support took place at home and in small group sessions which were led by trained volunteers and staff.
Families taking part received food packs to ensure there was no cost to participate and we provided kitchen equipment packs, giving families what they needed to prepare healthy meals. We provided recipes in easy-to-read and video formats and sponsored families with membership of CFINE’s Community Food Pantry to ensure reliable access to food in the longer term.
41 Families were supported by the project during the year, of those;
95%
reported eating more healthily
89%
of families experienced improved knowledge / skills in cooking.
92%
reported feeling less isolated
94%
reported feeling more financially secure
Supported parent
Supported parent
Perinatal Mental Health Project
This year, 15 parents and their babies took part in our first Perinatal Mental Health Peer Support Group. Statistically, more than 1 in 5 women will experience mental health difficulties in pregnancy or during their baby’s first year. Men may also be more vulnerable to mental distress and illness at this time.
Pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life are particularly important for good emotional wellbeing. Parents who themselves are experiencing poor mental health may not be able to support the emotional development at this crucial time.
To address this need, our Perinatal Mental Health Peer Support group provides a safe and nurturing environment for families where they can share experiences and give each other support, encouragement and reassurance. Research has shown that this kind of peer support is extremely effective in helping parents experiencing perinatal mental health difficulties.
Supported parent
Supported parent
Rising Stars
Rising Stars is a weekly group for families where children can play and learn together, and parents can mix in a safe and nurturing environment. This year, we supported 48 families through the Rising Stars group.
The group brings families together to reduce isolation and encourage social interaction. The programme of activities included songs, messy play, library visits, outdoor play and more and helps to build stronger parent-child attachment, supports early learning and development through play. The sessions are also designed to increase parents’ skills and confidence.
We also hosted stay and play sessions, allowing the children to explore local parks and beaches. These sessions proved very popular with parents as well as children!
During the year 48 families attended Rising Stars sessions:
99%
of children who took part had increased socialising opportunities
100%
experienced improved health and wellbeing
100%
of parents felt less isolated
98%
had increased confidence and self-esteem
96%
had improved mental health
Supported parent
Supported parent
Evening Stars
Our Evening Stars parent group met fortnightly in the evening via Zoom and provides a safe space for parents to connect with other parents. The focus is on self-care, sharing experiences and peer support. Sessions include discussions and activities, as well as plenty of opportunities to catch up socially.
During the year 12 families took part in Evening Stars sessions:
100%
felt less isolated
95%
had increased confidence and self esteem
97%
had improved mental health
Parent
Charity Shop
Footfall at our Geroge Street charity shop was high throughout the year as people took advantage of the range of high quality, affordable items on offer. One of our biggest challenges was keeping up with demand and keeping a steady stream of donations coming in.
It’s clear that the charity retail sector has a crucial role to play in helping people and communities to cope with the cost of living crisis.
All the money we raise in the shop directly supports the delivery of our services to young children and their families, here in Aberdeen. During 2022-23 this amounted to £105,311.84.
Fundraising and Supporters
Fundraising
Every year, our amazing team of fundraising volunteers put together events and activities, such as our flagship Afternoon tea! All of their hard work and commitment raised almost £14,000; all of which was used to support the delivery of our services.
Dedicated volunteers took part in the Kiltwalk, sports challenges, car boot sales and coffee mornings to raise awareness of our cause, as well as funds to support our work.
We also launched our very own, Make a Difference lottery, with weekly draws giving players a chance of winning £25,000, all while supporting families who need us.
If you or someone you know want to host or take part in an event to support us, please follow this link to find out about our events, how you can get involved or how we can support your fundraising ideas!
Christmas All Wrapped Up Appeal
Thanks to generous donations from individuals and organisations across the north-east, we were able to provide 68 families, including 145 children with winter gift packs in response to our All Wrapped Up appeal.
Several donors gifted bundles containing a warm winter coat, cosy pyjamas, socks and underwear, hat and gloves, a toy, a book and a selection box for us to provide to the children of the families we support.
“Thank you so much for the wonderful gifts for my children, Home-Start really has made a difficult time of year a lot easier for me and my family”
Financial Performance
The overall position for the year was a surplus of £79,503 (2022: surplus of £28,734) and is made up of a surplus on unrestricted funds of £101,110 and a deficit on restricted funds of £21,607. At 31 March 2023, the charity’s funds totalled £294,846 of which £28,695 was restricted funding provided by a range of funders for specified purposes including the Communities and Mental Health Wellbeing Fund, Awards for All and Children in Need. This left £266,151 available for use at the discretion of the trustees.
Our objective is to hold a contingency reserve fund of at least £150,000. Given the uncertainties about securing future funding, the reserve fund should be sufficient to finance about 6 months of ongoing expenditure. At 31 March 2023, we held a contingency reserve fund of £150,000 to which the board will make additional contributions as and when the financial results provide more flexibility.
