What we do
We support anyone who is parenting young children: Lone parents, married and unmarried couples, grandparents caring for their grandchildren, older parents, teen parents, step-parents, adoptive parents, families where a parent is in the armed forces, families where a parent is in prison, families who are in social care or other agencies involved, wealthy families, families struggling financially and in many other circumstances. Anyone who needs a little bit of support, short term or long term.
We work alongside families in their own homes, to help them cope with the stresses and strains of life and make sure they have the skills, confidence and strength they need to nurture their children.
We believe that children who are raised in a stable, loving, family environment are more likely to have a positive and healthy future and that’s why we support parents to help them achieve this.
Our volunteers have parenting experience themselves. They understand how hard it can be.
About the charity
We are a registered charity SC024885 and have been supporting families in Caithness since 1999.
We are a voluntary organization committed to promoting the welfare of families with at least one child under the age of five.
At Home-Start Caithness, we are proud to support the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First policy, promoting fairness, respect, and opportunity in the workplace. As a voluntary organisation committed to supporting families with young children, we believe that fair work practices are essential to delivering compassionate and effective services.
Our Principles
- Pay at least the real Living Wage to all staff and contracted workers.
- Provide effective channels for staff voice, including regular team meetings and open communication with leadership.
- Invest in staff development, offering training, supervision, and opportunities for growth.
Avoid the inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts, ensuring stability and fairness. - Promote equality and inclusion, taking steps to address the gender pay gap and support diverse recruitment.
- Offer flexible and family-friendly working arrangements, recognising the importance of work-life balance.
- Oppose the use of ‘fire and rehire’ practices, and commit to fair and transparent change processes.
- We believe that supporting our team with fair work principles strengthens our ability to support families across Caithness with empathy, dignity, and respect.
Our Experience
In addition to coordinating peer support for families over many years, we have developed more specialist projects or integrated specialist skills into our staff and volunteer teams, including perinatal support, learning in the early years, support for refugees and those seeking asylum, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and Video Interaction Guidance. Find out more below or by reading about our specialist work here.
