I am mum to three children, two of them are under five and have special educational needs. I was referred through to Home-Start Kirklees by my GP as I was in a really dark place with my mental health. As my mental health got worse, I became more isolated and anxious about leaving the house. I wasn’t able to take my children to play groups, and even making a trip to the shops felt like a big challenge.
Two of my children were struggling with their speech and language, which made me feel like I was a failing as a parent and I was scared that social care would take my children away from me. Keeping the house neat and tidy wasn’t something I had the energy to do, so it became a bit of mess.
My partner worked, but he was struggling with his mental health too. Our debts were mounting up, and it felt like there was no way we could get back on track. Everything was getting me down and I just didn’t know what to do.
When I first met someone from Home-Start I was really nervous. I don’t have many friends or family and so opening up to a stranger made me worry.
I had nothing to worry about though as the staff and my volunteer support were great at making me feel comfortable talking about my feelings. My Home-Start volunteer, Rachel, was amazing. She gave me lots of practical help and emotional support. We used to laugh and sometimes cry together and she would always encourage me and tell me I could still do the things I thought I couldn’t.
Rachel came with me to local play groups with my children, something I couldn’t think about doing on my own. It was lovely to see my children playing with other kids. It also gave me the chance to make new friends so I didn’t feel alone as much. Home-Start helped to get a referral through to speech and language services, which made a big difference to my children.
As I started to feel better, I wanted to get the house into shape so we created a weekly cleaning rota to help me keep on top of things. Rachel taught me how to budget better, helping me to save money and pay back some of my debts.
I am now in a much better place. I live independently in my own lovely house. My children attend school and nursery and I am learning to drive. My Home-Start volunteer was my rock. I will never forget her.
