Home-Start has recently appointed a Community Connector for Central Ward in Weston. Katina James has been carrying out research about the services that are available to families in the ward. Here, she gives us an insight into her work.
“The Community Connector project is focused on Weston-super-Mare Central Ward. The aim is to connect with families in the ward who have children up to 5 years old or during pregnancy. I’ve been finding out what services and support they are currently using and getting their thoughts and feedback. I’ve been visiting a wide range of settings to meet families, in Central Ward and around Weston.
Most of the settings I’ve been visiting are run by the community and churches. I’ve found nearly 20 baby/toddler groups in Weston-super-Mare, and I know there are more. It’s an amazing network of support and a lifeline to families. I know Home-Start volunteers visit many of these groups with their families.
My role as Community Connector has been to listen and play detective. It also involves connecting families to the support they need, so I’ve been listening, reassuring and signposting. I’ve also been handing out a whole lot of flyers, such as Children Centre What’s On, Healthy Start scheme, baby/toddler group lists and of course Home-Start among many more. It’s been an enjoyable and worthwhile project so far. It should provide a solid base for doing further work and supporting parents even better in the future. I’m excited about working to put some new ideas in place during the project and in the future.”